Attached at the Wrist
by lezonne
Summary: Sting knew Lucy was pretty smoking, he just never got close enough to admire it. He never thought he'd quite literally get attached at the wrist to the blonde bombshell, and find out a whole lot more about her life than he ever thought. Who knows, maybe she'd end up helping him too. Sting X Lucy. Mature content in future chapters. Rating may be bumped to M.
1. Chapter 1

"I don't know how you talked me into this one," Sting muttered, shaking his head at the magic-repelling bracelet. A million accessories in the world, and he ends up with this one.

It couldn't be karma, he'd actually been a decent guy lately. No raiding, no sleeping with exotic women, he hadn't even picked on anyone. All in all, he was being a relatively respected guild master, getting along with all his guild mates.

And then this happened.

"Everyone's wearing them!" Lector defended, panicking as he waved his arms. In truth, putting the bracelet on to begin with was a bad idea. Not only was it extremely feminine, but he knew he wouldn't buy it. Just because Lector wanted to wear one didn't mean he needed to play along. He didn't have to listen to Lector, he was just egging him on to play along.

Besides, it was too big for Lector and fell right off. Sting literally got the short end of the stick.

"Hey!" he snapped, ignoring Rogue's grinning expression. The shop owner looked somewhat terrified, but his stupid teammate was fighting the urge to laugh. And really, it took an awful lot to make Rogue laugh. The situation couldn't possibly get worse. "You better give me the key to this damn thing now or I _will_ blow up this shop."

"You're going to start sounding like Natsu if you keep that up," Rogue replied, keeping his distance from the fuming blond. "Just ask for the key so we can get out of here."

The shop owner waved his arms, panicking even more than Lector as he looked around for help. "No sir, please! I don't have the key. It's trapped somewhere in one of the other bracelets. That's the trick. You have to find the bracelet with the matching key to… to get it off."

Sting threw his hands on the counter, only his left coursing with power. _That_ was going to get old quickly. "So you're telling me because some smartass wanted to create these little magical-repellant bracelets that I need to look through every damn one to get this thing off? What am I supposed to do with my right arm, _hope_ no one comes at me from that side?!"

"They are supposed to be recalled!" the man cried, his voice going up several octaves as he faced Sting. "Mages are unhappy with the creation-"

" _Really_ -"

"And so far no one can get the bracelets off!" he finished, cowering behind his arms. "Please sir, do not blow up my store!"

Sting growled, ripping himself away from the shop owner to face the nearest wall, slamming his head into the wood. He ignored the vibrating sound it set off, and the large head-shaped hole he left behind, the shop keepers screams the only consolation to his dismal existence.

He looked down at the bracelet on his wrist, binding his magical power in his dominant arm. Seriously, a stupid engineered band did this? He groaned, staring blankly into the wood he'd imbedded his head into. "This can't be happening to me."

And Rogue, with his god damn slayer hearing, had the audacity to keep _laughing_.

* * *

Lucy stared into the ground, willing her tears to stop falling. "This can't be happening to me."

"I'm really sorry Luce!" Natsu said for perhaps the fifth time, rubbing his head as he stared down at the defeated girl. He'd been trying to play a joke by slapping the bracelet around her wrist, and now he was starting to see the error of his ways.

"Yeah, you can't blame him, Lucy," Happy said, sitting beside the crushed blonde. The exceed nodded, seeming to come to terms with what happened. "He doesn't think anything through. I'm sure he didn't think that pathetic bracelet would take all your magical power."

" _It didn't take all my power, cat!_ " she seethed, scaring the poor little guy away with her outburst. "I just can't use my right hand."

"Yes, it's exactly as the warning says," Erza agreed, inspecting the label again. "You need to find the key inside another bracelet in order to remove that one. None of our magic is going to remove that, even someone who has power over metal. We're going to have to find the corresponding key to get that off you."

Natsu crouched down beside Lucy, his eyes already dancing as fire appeared in his hand. "If you would just let me try to burn it off-"

She jolted back, far enough from her teammate that he couldn't immediately try burning off her arm. "No thank you!"

"And how exactly did these things become legal to sell?" Gray asked, peering at the paper in Erza's hand. "I mean, someone had to see this plan would go up in flames."

"It doesn't appear that the owners initially knew what they were selling," she reasoned, placing a hand to her chin. "You saw that old man. He was sobbing when Lucy threatened to bring out her spirits to avenge her. And then we saw the proof when she couldn't conjure anyone with her right hand."

"And her left was just sad to watch," Gray agreed, shaking his head. She'd actually dropped Taurus' key in the process of trying to summon him, and Gray ended up picking up her key on the way out when the blonde ran for the hills.

"Do you know how many of these stupid bracelets there probably are in Fiore?" Lucy piped up, finally getting up off the ground. Her left hand was clutched over the bracelet, trying to shoo off Natsu's flames with her elbow. "There were at least a hundred in that shop alone! It could take me forever to find the owner of my key, not to mention I would actually have to try every key I came across. There's got to be a better way!"

Gray held out a hand, arching one eyebrow. "I can always try to freeze it off."

"That didn't work the first time! And don't even get me started on Erza's sword attack! I'm lucky to still have my arm."

"Whoever did this is trying to handicap people who use magic," the red-haired mage continued, cutting off the argument. "Why else would a product like this ever make it on the market? We need to return to the guild and see if anyone can use a spell to break or at least remove the bracelet. If not, it's going to be a long adventure of looking for jewelry."

"Aw man," Natsu whined, putting out his flames. "How are we supposed to have any fun with a job like that?"

* * *

"Sting, you can't just mope around like this," Lector reasoned, flying around his master's head. So far all Sting had accomplished was trashing the shop (much to everyone's dismay) and returning to the guild to lock himself in his room.

"What am I supposed to do?" he grunted, his head once again resting against the wall. "I can't exactly just tell the guild about my little problem. It could cause a mutiny. I may not be like the old master, but there will always be someone trying to take your position. If I reveal to everyone that I'm presently unable to use one of my arms and thus unable to use all of my _power_ , then there's a strong likelihood that someone will try to challenge me. Like this, I can't guarantee that I will win."

Lector sat down, thinking over Sting's words. "I don't think anyone would turn on you. Yukino would care, and she's really smart so I'm sure she could help. Rogue and Frosch know, so they can help too."

"These damn things have been around for a week and already they are causing chaos," Sting muttered, glaring at the wall. "The sooner I find an answer the better. I can't have anyone thinking I'm weak. Not only could it cause an issue in the guild, but more importantly it could draw unwanted attention from our enemies."

It was silent for a moment, and Sting thought Lector had given up on making him feel better. Instead his friend surprised him, his voice much quieter than before. "I'm sorry I messed things up, Sting."

He pulled back from the wall, looking at the devastated look on his friends face. Fighting down his own worries he crossed the room to Lector, sitting beside him on the bed. Placing one hand on his friends head, he smiled when the little exceed looked up. "Don't worry Lector, I'm sure we'll find a way to fix this."

"But how?"

"Well, these are new, right? We gotta find whoever made them and demand a solution. Looking for different bracelets all across Fiore will take too long, but one sound adventure should take care of everything. What do you say buddy, do you want help me find the creator?"

* * *

"It could be scripture magic," Levy said, twisting Lucy's arm around once again. "But that's not quite right. It's not cursed, just protected. This is binding magic more than anything."

"Just my luck," Lucy pouted, letting Levy look at the bracelet some more. It didn't look out of the ordinary and it didn't look any different than before, even though it was sapping all the magic from this appendage of her body. She was right dominant, and without the use of her right arm she was clumsy in drawing her keys. She couldn't even properly reach into her bag to draw them.

"You really can't figure out what it is?" Natsu asked, standing close by. He looked troubled by the situation, possibly because he was the reason Lucy was currently struggling.

"Even Gramps was stumped," Gray replied, scratching his head. Freed also tried looking at the bracelet, and Cana attempted her card magic to see if she could predict where Lucy's key for her bracelet currently was.

So far, no luck.

"Sorry Lu," Levy sighed, letting go of her arm, "I'm out of ideas. Whoever created that wants to make it difficult to have it removed. It just seems to absorb or deflect the magic thrown at it, depending on how much there is. Unless we can somehow find a spell to beat it, and I seriously doubt that, this problem won't be solved with magic."

Lucy groaned, laying her head down on the table. "So you mean I need to go on some bogus quest to find my key?"

"Well… it seems that way for now. We could probably narrow down the possibilities of where it would be, but it would take a bit."

"Ugh, that's really not what I wanted to hear Levy," she continued, burying her head into her arms. She liked reading, but this seemed like it would lead to an extensive amount of research that she didn't think would lead anywhere.

She would have to find the key or the creator, that was the bottom line. But no one seemed to even know where the bracelets came from, much less how to narrow down where the creator might be.

Lucy thought about all the books in the library that they managed to hold on to. All those books were based on magic, the exact problem she was having. If she did research, she feared that the Fairy Tail library would not be beneficial to her.

She groaned again. Could anyone possibly be more screwed than her?

* * *

Stomping through the streets, Sting tried to ignore Rufus' not-so-helpful voice beside him.

"I don't know who could be more screwed than you."

"I'm starting to think Rogue and I were better off handling this alone," Sting grunted, glaring at his guild mate. "I know you can read quickly, that's the only reason I told you. The sooner I know what I need the sooner this nightmare will be over."

"You do realize it's going to take longer than a day?" Rufus said, staring at the master. He'd kept in step with Sting so far, despite his hot pursuit down the street. "You only got that blasted thing put on yesterday, and even if your dominant arm isn't working you still managed to take out a surprising amount of walls back at the guild. Relax, no one's noticed anything different."

"Stupid bracelet… controlling my life…" Sting continued muttering to himself, oblivious to what Rufus just said.

"He's been moody since he found out," Rogue said, filling in the gap when Sting didn't, continuing to march right on in a furious rage. "He's worried what might happen if people find out about the bracelet."

"I suppose that's not unwarranted," the other man argued, falling back beside the Shadow Dragon instead. He let Sting continue on, stomping through the streets like he owned the place. The two exceeds flew above them, keeping a close eye on the irate blond. "News will spread fast now that people are becoming familiar with the bracelets. He should've worn something to cover it at least. If someone recognizes it while we are out it could start a fight."

Rogue felt a smile tugging at his lips but forced it down. He'd already laughed in public once this week and that was enough. "We are talking about Sting. Most people aren't a challenge to begin with. Unless he faces an incredibly strong mage this setback shouldn't actually affect him at all."

"That's what I was thinking," Rufus agreed. "I still commend him for being cautious. He doesn't know how anyone will react to the news, and it puts him in a delicate position. We don't want someone challenging our guild master when his magic power is being repressed."

Nodding along to what Rufus said, Rogue took in the sights around them. After consulting Yukino and Minerva, they decided that the library in Sabertooth's guild would prove unhelpful. All the books were on magic. They needed regular books written by regular people to find anything out about this anti-magic guy.

That's why they were in Crocus, hoping the library here would be beneficial. With Rufus along, reading would be a breeze.

Passing by a newspaper stand Rogue paused to pick up the paper, wondering if maybe something like this would be more helpful. This was new age technology after all, something that hadn't been attempted before. Unless the creator of the bracelets referenced something in history, they wouldn't just find an answer in a library.

"Sting?" he called, finally getting the blond leader to stop his tirade. So far he'd managed to frighten pretty much everyone out of his way. While impressive, it was a little tedious to follow his display through the streets. Glancing back over his shoulder Sting finally acknowledged him again, his anger momentarily depleted.

Keeping his face blank like normal, Rogue held up the paper. "Maybe you should try reading this?"

Sting scowled, stomping back to his friend to snatch the paper away. He straightened it out, staring at the headline with dawning horror:

 _Magic Repelling Bracelets: The End to Mages?_

"Damn," he snarled, gripping the paper tighter. "Are you telling me someone wants to get rid of magic with these things?"

"It is debilitating," Rufus agreed, peering at the paper over Sting's shoulder, "but I wouldn't call it the end. Enough people know now that it won't be an epidemic to mages. How can it be the end?"

"If they keep making things like this," Sting snarled, "it could be. This doesn't tell me who created them, just that it's complex technology. Possibly, there is even magic in the bracelet to snap magic power."

"What's the point if they need magic to work?" Rogue asked, crossing his arms. "It defeats the purpose if the goal is to get rid of magic."

"I don't know," Sting sighed, folding the paper beneath his arm. "At least it's a start. We still don't have any answers. Come on, the library's this way."

* * *

Gray walked beside Lucy, trying to keep his temper in check. He didn't exactly understand her reasoning here.

"So, why exactly did you leave Levy in Magnolia and bring Flame-Brain?" he asked, glancing at Natsu. The train ride to Crocus was short, but still enough to put their pink haired friend in a state of disarray.

"Oh, he wants to help," Lucy said, folding her arms. The metal of the bracelet was cool on her skin, an unpleasant reminder that it was still there. "Besides, Levy wanted to do calculations to see if she could estimate the best places a match to my key might be and which cities to it. If we can't find the creator it's our next best bet. Freed was going to help, and they were going to use Cana's card magic to see if they could get any hints."

"But he doesn't even read," Gray went on, somehow having lost his shirt on the walk. Lucy felt her eyebrow twitching but looked away, attempting to keep a level head.

Behind her, she could hear Erza arguing with Natsu, trying to convince him to keep up. She wasn't sure it would actually do any good, but it was a better alternative than leaving him lying somewhere. Everyone wanted to help her after all, and so far she seemed to be the only one in Fairy Tail presently affected by the bracelets and their power.

Lucky her.

"He may not read but he still wanted to do something, and the company is nice," she continued, pushing her hair back in the wind. "I have Virgo and Loke trying to figure out what they can in the Spirit world, and Crux offered his help if he can. I know magic is probably not the answer, but it can't hurt to do some research there. The sooner this thing comes off the happier I'll be."

"Everyone will be happier," Gray agreed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "We're just going to all have to crack down on some books."

"Yeah, you'll be a bunch of bookworms when we're done," she laughed, looking around the street. They were coming up on the library now, but something to their right caught her attention. "Hey, what's going on over there?"

Gray stopped as well, narrowing his eyes. "Is that Sting?"

Lucy nodded, listening in. "And Rogue… and Rufus?"

"If they keep making things like this it could be," Sting said. "This doesn't tell me who created them, just that it's complex technology. Possibly, there is even magic in the bracelet to snap magic power."

"What's the point if they need magic to work?" Rogue asked, crossing his arms. "It defeats the purpose if the goal is to get rid of magic."

"I don't know," Sting sighed, folding the paper beneath his arm. "At least it's a start. We still don't have any answers. Come on, the library's this way."

Lucy exchanged a look with Gray, their little group going unnoticed by the members of Sabertooth. Without waiting for the others to catch up Lucy took off, waving her arm to get their attention. "Hey!"

The trio stopped walking, turning at the sound of her voice. Sting's eyes immediately zeroed in on her, his gaze fixated on her bracelet. She stopped in front of the three, well aware of her friends following long.

Instead of trying to start a conversation, Sting raised an eyebrow and met her gaze. "I see you got fucked over too."

"In a manner of speaking," she agreed, rolling her eyes. "I guess you're here trying to figure out what will get them off?"

"Well blowing them up doesn't work," Sting grumbled, crossing his arms. Lucy felt someone approach and wrap an arm around her shoulders, and she glanced up to see Natsu holding onto her, grinning.

"Hey, you two look alike!"

Lucy felt Natsu's presence leave just as quickly, turning just in time to see Erza smack him across the head. "That's not the point, Natsu."

"How did you end up with one?" Gray asked, standing at Lucy's other side. She jumped when she realized he'd lost his pants along the way.

"It's really not important," Sting huffed, rolling his eyes. "Gonna tell me how you got yours blondie?"

Lucy blushed, glaring at him. "We're both blond you know."

"I'm guessing you came to look in Crocus' library as well," Erza said, placing a hand on her hip. "We're hoping to find out something that can help break the binding on the bracelets."

Sting scoffed, cutting off anything Rufus was about to say. "We don't need any help from fairies."

"Well you obviously haven't gotten anywhere on your own," Lucy responded, smirking. "What have you got to lose? Seven sets of eyes are better than three, right? I don't know about you, but this little bracelet is already ruining my life."

"He's not going to admit to that," Rogue grumbled, cutting through the conversation, "even if it is."

"Do your other guild mates know?" Lucy continued, tilting her head. "Do you-"

"Look, it's not something I'm sharing," he snapped, covering his bracelet with this hand. "This is ridiculous enough without making it a bigger deal. I'm sure your entire guild knows what happened, but I'm not that into sharing with everyone. Now if you don't mind, we have work to do."

"Fine," she huffed, turning on her heel. "Go ahead and look by yourself. When I find the solution and get my bracelet off you'll be sorry you didn't listen!"

"You're not going to find it before me," he argued back. He pointed at her, the bracelet on his wrist much tighter than her own. "Trust me, I'll find a solution before you can!"

Scoffing, she pointed right back at him. "Oh please, we'll-"

Letting out a high-pitched 'eek', she was unprepared for the sudden gravitational pull that ripped her from her place beside Gray and jerked her across the space, directly into Sting.

Well, not directly.

It was more like their wrists slammed together, Sting meeting her halfway. The jolt caused them to clash together, Lucy's head smacking rather forcefully into his chest. She stumbled while she shook his head, trying to get his bearings.

The pair looked down, oblivious to the other voices surrounding them. Their bracelets were connected now, the metal melding into each other to create one solid band. Sting reacted first, jerking forcefully on his arm to try and separate them, but all it did was cause Lucy to grunt in pain.

"Hey! My arm is still attached you know."

He stopped trying, dropping his arm again as his other hand came up to his hair, running through the locks quickly. He glanced around them, barely registering the group of onlookers and their shocked friends.

Looking at Lucy again, he couldn't control his anger. "What the fucking hell are we supposed to do now?"

 **A/n: So, there's chapter one. I'll see how the story is received to see if I continue or not. I'm still a little new to the Fairy Tail fan base.**

 **Also, as a quick note to all my readers, I'll be getting married this October so my updating is not going to be as organized as I like. Usually I like to update each week or two if possible but with wedding plans it will be a little harder. I have no intention of abandoning my stories, I just can't guarantee an update timeline right now until after October.**

 **Please review and let me know if you like or if it should continue!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, dislocating my arm isn't going to fix the problem!" Lucy seethed, pushing on Sting's chest as he tried to yank his arm free. Physically he was quite a bit stronger than her, and each time he pulled it caused a jolt of pain to her shoulder. If he kept this up it really was going to hurt.

The position they were in didn't make it better. Because it was both of their right wrists that had the bracelet, they couldn't just stand side by side. They could if they faced opposite directions, like they were a few moments ago before the bracelets decided to fuse into one. If one of them wouldn't mind having their arm pulled halfway across their body they could face the same way, but that wasn't currently happening.

Lucy, annoyed that Sting wasn't even trying to listen to her, had turned so she could face him. It left their wrists dangling between them before Sting started pulling, and the connection kept them a lot closer than they'd ever been.

At least this made it slightly more difficult for Sting to successfully pull her arm off.

"Go Sting, go!" Lector cheered, not aiding in the situation at all. The little guy was several feet behind the blond man, hopping around as he egged him on. Frosch was beside him, shaking slightly as usual and pumping little paws into the air. "The strongest wizard in Fiore won't be beat by an accessory!"

"Say what?" Natsu cried from behind her, snapping out of his daze. Everyone grew quiet after they slammed together, unsure what to say next. The pair made quite the spectacle there in the middle of the road. "No way he's the strongest. I'll take him on-"

"You most certainly will not," Erza said, her voice closer than Natsu's. Lucy felt a hand rest on her shoulder as Erza placed herself between the two, glaring at Sting. "And if you keep pulling you're going to end up hurting yourself too. These bracelets are joined now. If she becomes hurt and cannot lift her arm because you've dislocated it, we will have to avenge her."

Sting finally stopped pulled, turning to glare at Erza. "Give me a break. There's no reason the fucking things should even be together! I thought this was all some lame ass puzzle to find a key."

"That's what we believed too," she agreed, closing her eyes as her magic power flared up. Lucy hopped back slightly, twisting around so her arm was pulled across her body instead of being very close to the Saber.

Erza opened her eyes, requipped into a different set of armor. Lucy jumped, unable to focus on what exactly she was wearing. All she knew was Erza only changed her armor when she was ready to strike.

And Lucy was seriously afraid of what that strike might to do her burning arm.

"Hey now," she cried, waving both arms around as she stared at the scarlet woman before her. Sting let her drag his arm around with her, frowning at both of them. "There's no need to be rash! Come on Erza, I really need this hand to write."

"If my memory serves," Rufus interrupted, coming to stand on Titania's other side, "destroying the bracelet didn't work when it was a single band. We have reason to assume the metal is stronger now that it's merged with another one. If your sword doesn't cut cleanly through the metal it will just cause both of them pain."

"We can't just leave them stuck together," Gray commented, standing on their other side in nothing but his boxers. Sting scoffed, turning to glare at the ice wizard.

"What the hell man? This isn't a club!"

"Aw, crap," Gray muttered, immediately turning around to search for his lost clothes. Lucy noticed Rogue standing back watching the spectacle, like he found some part of this horror amusing.

Oh yeah, this was working out splendidly. She'd go back to not being able to use her right arm if it meant she didn't have to be connected to Sting.

"We just need to pull you guys apart," Natsu said, joining the conversation. He seemed to have given up his desire to fight Sting, at least for now. "If we help pull on either side the metals got to give."

"Or you'll break our wrists,' Lucy muttered, looking down at the band.

"Well it's loose on you," Sting agreed, shrugging. "We could just break your hand and slide your arm out."

Lucy looked horrified, attempting to yank her arm away before recalling it was attacked to the man. All it did was cause him to grunt, stumbling one step closer from her efforts. "We're not doing that! It's your idea, why don't be break your hand?"

"I clasped it on my wrist, it didn't slide on. Since the clasp has now faded into one solid ring, it's not going to let me slide it off." He reached forward, grasping her hand. "May as well get it over with."

"Hey wait, don't-"

She didn't have to tell him this was a really stupid idea, dumber than Erza's determination to slice through the magic repelling band. As soon as he moved to break her hand the band tightened, shrinking to the same tightness Sting was dealing with.

He dropped her hand a second later, well aware of the death glares he was now receiving from her team. "Well that's disappointing."

"The bracelet is smart enough to know when you're trying to come up with a solution," Rufus said, arching a brow. "Like its learning. Fascinating. For something that's meant to limit magic power it certainly has to have magic to work."

"I will not cut your arm Lucy," Erza assured, looking her dead in the eye. "I believe my sword is strong enough to break the connection and at least separate you two first."

"No, no, that's okay," she said, waving her left arm. "I'd rather try doing some real research first before we decide to break bones. Let's just go to the library."

Erza looked disappointed but nonetheless returned to her original clothing, grabbing Natsu as he attempted to move closer and burn the bracelet again. Lucy had yet to let him try, and honestly she was afraid of what would happen.

"Fine then, but let's get a move on. It's already past noon."

* * *

Walking wasn't nearly as easy as they thought it would be. Since one person needed to be turned so they could walk the same direction, it was easy enough to guess what happened when both Sting and Lucy attempted to start off into their own direction.

The bracelet cut painfully into their wrists, Lucy's tighter band now more of a nuisance than before. They barely made it a couple steps before they had to stop and argue, neither really willing to give into the other.

In the end, Lucy decided to turn and deal with her arm being drawn partially across her body. Sting could be just as stubborn as Natsu, and the less time they spent arguing the more time they could spend doing research. They already had quite the set of onlookers, and the sooner the damn thing came off the sooner this would be over with.

Sting needed it to be over. While he wasn't known for being a wallflower he was moderately annoyed with himself for the spectacle he was causing. The last thing he wanted was for people to know he got tricked into one of these bracelets of all things.

Now though, it was a little hard to cover what was going on. He couldn't exactly cover but the Fairy beside him and pretend she wasn't there. It was a nice idea, but it didn't seem to be working well.

By the time the pair actually made it into the library Rufus and Gray were several steps ahead, already looking for a section of the building that could prove helpful. Sting smirked to himself as Rufus beat the fairy mage, his quick reading abilities letting him find the best section without an issue.

Yeah, Rufus was pretty helpful right now.

"I'm going to fly ahead and find you the perfect book," Lector said, momentarily plopping down on Sting's head. He smiled at the gesture, familiar with his exceeds little quirks. Reaching up with his free left hand he pet his longtime friend, spotting blondie out of the corner of his eye.

She was trying to hide a smile. Great, now he'd have to hear all her little jabs about this.

"Go find me the best one buddy," Sting said, feeling Lector lift off a moment later and disappear. The library itself was enormous, and if Rogue wasn't stopping every now and again to direct the pair they would've lost sight of them.

They were moving embarrassingly slow. Walking in a straight line was one thing, but their movements weren't even. Sting took bigger steps, blondie had more of a bounce to her whenever they moved. Turning corners was just as awkward. He either didn't pivot enough and she crashed into him or vise versa. At least they hadn't fallen over yet.

It was seriously starting to take a blow to his confidence. How was he supposed to be the Great and Powerful Sting Eucliffe with a leach on his arm?

"Quit pouting, I'm not anymore happy about this than you," she grunted, her left arm trying to reach across to her right side. He considered offering her help since her pouch of keys was right next to his hand but refused. He didn't see a need to be helpful.

It's not like she was benefitting him.

"Let's just get this over with," he huffed, sitting down in the nearest chair. Rufus, as if on que, levitated over several books for the pair to peruse through. As Sting got comfortable in his chair, ignoring how the girl beside him pulled on his arm until she was satisfied, picking up her own book.

Natsu suddenly showed up, a stack of heavy volumes slamming down on the table. He glared in Sting's direction before focusing on his partner across the table, who had to sit next to the blond slayer in their current situation. "Hey Luce! I brought you these."

"You do know I can't read all of those now, right? They are huge. Are they even relevant?"

"Dunno," he replied with a shrug. "Erza gave them to me to read. She took a stack herself."

Lucy sighed, and Sting had to fight the urge to tell her to not breathe so loudly. Seriously, she could do something about that. "I hope the others back at the guild are having more success than we are."

"Check this out," Gray said, sitting down on Lucy's other side. "It's today's paper."

"I already read that," Sting huffed, glaring at all the fairies at this table. "It's not informative, just a gossip column."

"Yeah, I know you read it cause Rogue gave it to me," Gray huffed, glaring back in return. "And you're right, there are no facts here that we can use. But look, the writer is here in Crocus. Maybe they know something."

"Hey, yeah!" Lucy beamed clapping her hands together. Her action caused Sting to drop the book he was skimming and loose his place. Clenching his fist, he resisted the urge to bake off some of her pretty hair.

He didn't want to just go around destroying things for no reason. That was Natsu's job, and he was already here. If Sting picked up the same habits he'd just get lumped into a group with the pyro, and that was the last thing he wanted right now.

"Looks like she writes for the paper here," Gray continued, flipping through the print. "Maybe we should go question her. It might be more productive than sitting here looking for something that probably isn't written."

"We have no way of knowing if anything she said is true," Rufus argued, coming closer to the table. "And unless these two go the writer is just going to think we're pulling her leg. A new development with the bracelets might be enough to get her to talk, but she might just produce another page of gossip."

"Well, at least it's something," Lucy said, standing up. She tugged her arm, ignoring the glare Sting shot her. "Let's go talk to her."

"You actually believe her? Blondie, she writes for the paper. Half of what she printed is bull."

"Maybe, maybe not. She knew enough after only a couple days to have the article published, so I'm guessing she knows something. Come on, the others can keep reading but we have to go. She wouldn't believe anyone just telling her about this."

"No way," Natsu snapped, cutting into the conversation. "There's no way you're wandering around alone with a Saber."

"It's not like I can do anything," Sting huffed, gesturing to their wrists. "Relax a little. Anything I do would just have a negative effect on me. Relax, I won't even try breaking her hand to get the bracelet off."

Natsu tensed, letting the flames dance to life in his hand. "I swear, if you try to harm her-"

"I'm not going to," Sting scowled, standing up. "It'll just make this that much worse."

"Don't worry Natsu," Lucy sighed, patting his shoulder. The flames simmered out but he remained glaring at the blond attached to his partner. "The news office isn't far from here, I visited the last time I was here. We should be back in an hour, so long as this woman doesn't talk too much."

"But-"

"I'll be fine," she continued, struggling to reach the pouch on her right hip. Before she was stuck to Sting it was an awful lot easier to grab her keys. It took several moments, but she finally managed to grab her keys, pulling out the one she desired. "Besides, I'll have company."

She grinned at Sting, drawing out the silver key. Her grip was awkward on the key and she almost dropped it with her left, but never lost her grin. "Open, gate of the Canis Minor, Nikora!"

Plue appeared before everyone, shaking slightly as he looked up at his master. Natsu's jaw dropped, looking down at the little dog. "That's not what I meant by protection!"

"Well if Sting plans on bringing Lector then I want someone too," she replied, winking at her partner. During back to the Maser of Sabertooth she took in his expression. He looked somewhere between confused and ready to laugh.

"What is it?"

"Plue's not an it! He's a celestial spirit, and he's my friend." Lucy bent down to pick up the spirit, partially dragging Sting with her. She held him in one arm, smiling at Sting when she stood again. "And he's coming with us."

"Pft, whatever. Let's just get this over with." Sting beckoned to Lector, who was already flying over to land on his head. "Come on blondie."

Lucy waved, ignoring the concerned looks of her friends as they walked unevenly out of the building. Lector was going on about something on top of Sting's head, probably talking about how awesome Sting thought he was. Lucy tried to block the pair out as they walked, nuzzling Plue as they went.

"So are you going to tell me how you got locked into a bracelet?" she asked, brushing at her hair as they walked. She let Plue down, fighting with the wind as they headed in the direction of the building.

"Lector and I had a bet going. His bracelet fell off, mine didn't. Satisfied?"

She chuckled, tugging on her arm as they walked. Her right arm was still pulled across her body, Sting having refused so far to try and be helpful. Her shoulder was starting to ache again from being stuck this way for so long. "Well, at least someone didn't put it on you. This is Natsu's doing."

"Yeah, I believe that. So where is this place?"

"It's just around the corner here," Lucy replied, gesturing to Plue to follow. They rounded the corner and stopped short, staring at the sign before them.

 _Office will be closed on Tuesday. Please come back on Wednesday if you have any groundbreaking stories to share!_

"What kind of office closes on a damn Tuesday?" Sting huffed, his left arm surging with power. Lucy tensed, watching his temper rise. He was like Natsu, always ready for a fight.

"So we have to wait until tomorrow to speak to her?" Lucy sighed, her shoulders dropping. "We'd have to stay in Crocus-"

" _We_?" Sting snapped, glaring at her. "I need to get back to my guild. I didn't exactly tell anyone I'd be gone other than Minerva and Yukino."

Lucy shuddered at the name, something Sting couldn't miss while they were attacked. "Well, it's not looking good. We haven't found a solution and it's getting later. At this rate we'll be lucky if we know how to separate the bracelets by tomorrow. We're going to have to face facts… we're probably going to be stuck together tonight."

Sting smirked when her cheeks turned red, the blush burning her cheeks. "What, you a little shy blondie? Come on, I promise I'm gentle-"

"Cut it out!" she snapped, kicking him in the shin. "T-that's not what I mean! We're going to have to get a room though… probably with all of our guild mates. We're not going to be able to separate yet."

"That's just great," he snarled, rubbing his shin. "This is not my idea of a good time."

"No," Lucy sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I wouldn't say this is my idea either."

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Natsu growled, trying to get between Lucy and Sting. There wasn't a chain connecting their two bracelets, the band itself simply melded together. There wasn't enough room to actually put his entire body there, so he settled for shoving his torso in between and glaring at the Saber. "You dare touch her-"

"It's not like we can have separate rooms," Lucy defended, patting her comrade's shoulder. She was a little concerned that he'd start blowing off flames any minute now and burn all of them. "We can't help this Natsu. No one is going to be able to leave tonight, so we might as well split rooms. Come on, we've already argued about this between each other, I don't need you yelling now too."

"Lucy's right," Erza agreed, standing in the lobby of the hotel. "Some things are unavoidable in this situation. Someone can split the room with you two just in case."

"You really don't need to worry about anything," Lucy said sheepishly, face palming. "Really, let's just get some rooms so we can eat and go the hell to bed."

The group walked up to the counter, Sting muttering with Rogue as they walked. Lucy could hear Rufus and Gray arguing behind her, and she was starting to wonder if this group would last the night here. Erza took the initiative, slamming one hand down on the counter before her.

"Three rooms please," she said, pointing to everyone in turn. "Two with two twins, and one with a king and a twin."

Lucy blushed, thankful Erza had enough sense about her to remember that Sting and Lucy probably didn't want to be any closer than they already were. Trying to sleep on a twin would be a disaster.

"We don't have a room with a twin and king," the concierge responded apologetically, looking at the group. "I can do three twins in a room, but the king takes up too much space."

"Looks like you'll be rooming with me alone after all," Sting said, smirking at her discomfort.

"Don't get any ideas," she sighed, already feeling the heat of Natsu's temper. This wasn't going well.

"Don't flatter yourself. You're just a fairy after all."

"Luce," Natsu interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder, "you don't-"

"Just book the rooms Erza," she sighed, brushing off Natsu's hand. "I don't want to keep wandering around until we find someplace to accommodate us."

The scarlet wizard looked surprised but completed the booking, handing off one of the keys to Lucy and another to Rogue. "We can meet for dinner in an hour. Right now we need to freshen up."

Lucy didn't argue, practically dragging Sting up the stairs. He was heavy to pull, but at least he wasn't resisting. She just wanted to get away before anymore of her friends tried to comfort her. Nothing would help at this rate.

She'd have to share a room with Sting tonight, and that entailed a lot of other uncomfortable things that they would have to do while in this position. Instead of waiting for the others she found their room quickly, barely giving Sting time to follow before she pulled him into the room and slammed the door.

At least it wasn't a couples room. The space was plain, with a small closet and decent sized bathroom. She let Sting pull them further into the room, scowling as he went.

"Well, at least I don't have to sleep with Salamander too tonight."

"Yeah, I don't think he'd enjoy cuddling you too."

Sting shot her a glance, unsure of what to make of her words. She managed to take off her bag, thankful it was a one shoulder with a snap instead of a backpack. Rubbing her sore arm she sighed, glad they were at least alone when she had to do this.

"Sting, I have to pee."

He jumped, surprised by her words. They really hadn't done anything in the last several hours that could be considered uncomfortable, but she had been holding it for a while and without her overbearing friends around she could at least bring this up.

"God damnit, I knew this would happen. Can't you just hold it?"

"For how long?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "It's not like we can just avoid using the bathroom and changing so long as we are stuck this way. It's got to happen."

He wrinkled his nose, giving her a once over. "But my nose is a lot more sensitive than yours."

"Hey, I don't stink! Come on, I waited until we got up here to mention it. It's better than trying to drag you into a public restroom."

He cringed at that mental picture. With a sigh he reached up and scratched his head, relenting. "Fine… fine. Just remember this when I have to go."

Lucy gave him a strained smile before starting to the bathroom, not looking at Sting again. He let her lead the way, focusing anywhere else as they wandered into the bathroom. It was large enough they could both stand in there, but with Lucy's right arm being linked to his he couldn't just stand on the side. He leaned against the wall beside her, letting his arm be pulled diagonal across his body for the first time. He stared up at the ceiling, willing himself somewhere else.

"J-just don't look okay, you perve?"

"Wasn't dreaming of it blondie,' he muttered closing his eyes. He felt her shift around beside him, struggling to use one hand to get herself adjusted. When he felt his hand tug downward he started whistling, wondering how this could get anymore awkward.

Sting let his head fall back against the wall, silently cursing. How the hell was he supposed to get out of this?

 **A/n:** Let me know what you think. I find the more I write the more I love this pairing. I love Natsu in the show, but I've always been a fan of unorthodox pairings. Hopefully I can keep updating every few weeks, but we will see what happens.

Thanks for the comments!


	3. Chapter 3

After devouring what could be considered more than his fair share of food, Sting was ready to retire for the night. All the fairies floating around were starting to give him a headache, and Scarlet had shot fear down his spine when he almost mistakenly ate a _slice of cake_ from the entire cake she'd ordered.

Not a mistake he'd be making again anytime soon.

By this point he practically found himself attempting to drag blondie back to the room. She seemed able to hold a conversation about literally anything with her friends, and although her present debate with the snow-cone maker was a bit amusing, Sting didn't actually want to sit through it.

 _And those traitors_ he called guild mates completely abandoned him after they finished eating. Rogue even took Lector back to the room with them! Seriously, he wasn't entirely sure how he ended up being the only Saber at the entire table, but it was getting old real quick.

"We've already told Levy and Freed everything we know," blondie continued, oblivious to her arm-mates distress. "The only thing we can do at this point is hope this news reporter actually knows something useful."

"You really sure you want that reporter seeing the two of you together?" Gray asked, looking skeptical. Sting decided he was slightly more thoughtful than his former idol, who despite eating hellacious amounts of food was still shoveling it in. Even Sting was full at this point, and he was a dragon slayer too. "She might just turn around and write a gossip article on you two."

"Wouldn't be the first one I've had," Sting muttered, resting his head on his left hand. He didn't want to talk anymore. With his belly full like this all he could think about was sleeping. Blondie hopefully didn't take too long getting ready before bed, because he felt like passing out as soon as they got upstairs and wasn't certain he could be patient enough to wait on her.

"It's a chance we'll have to take," she replied, shrugging at her teammate. The movement jostled Sting a bit but he ignored her, hoping she'd just come to her senses. He didn't want to try dragging her back to the room. That would get hothead all fired up, and he wasn't sure he could take him in a fight with only one arm.

Then again, there probably wouldn't be a fight so long as they were attached. Natsu cared way too much for his partner to chance burning her.

"It's getting late," Erza said, finally drawing Sting's attention. At some point Natsu apparently finished eating, leaning contentedly back against the booth while patting his engorged middle. "The sooner we all turn in the sooner we can get this over with in the morning."

"I thought you'd never say that," Sting huffed, standing from the booth. He didn't exactly wait for Lucy to get up with him, instead pulling her along as he moved. "God I can't wait to get to sleep."

"Would you quit pulling?" she snapped, grabbing his shoulder with her other hand. Sting slowed down a bit, ignoring the ruckus behind them. He assumed it was Natsu overreacting again. They fell into step beside each other, and he noted she was rubbing her right shoulder.

"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, nodding to her hand. She scowled, immediately stopping herself from continuing to rub the skin.

"Well since you finally remember that you do have a connection to that hand, I'm glad you asked. All your insane eating caused a lot of pulling on my arm, and now my shoulder's sore. I think you owe me. Why don't you try having your arm pulled across your body for a change?"

"Come on, it can't be that bad."

"Oh? Wanna bet?"

Sting, never one to back down from a challenge, met her head on. Lifting up their arms he moved to her other side so his arm was now pulled diagonally across his body instead of hers. Thankfully the bracelets still spun around on their wrists, so the movement didn't cause any unnecessary pain.

Lucy let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders dropping a little. "Finally. I never thought I'd be able to feel this shoulder again!"

"Quit being overdramatic," he grumbled, already annoyed with the change. Their predicament was a lot more noticeable for him when his arm was the one being pulled at an odd angle. After several hours of this, he guessed he could see why she was complaining.

Walking was getting a little better as the day went on, and he was grateful when they finally reached the room. Once the door banged shut he didn't waste any time, immediately darting over to the bed and flopping down. Lucy squeaked beside him, falling down at his side at a strange angle, sideways on the bed.

Arm be damned, he'd deal with the soreness in his shoulder if he could go to sleep right now. But blondie seemed to have other ideas, finally coming to her senses.

"Oh no, we are not going to sleep like this! I still need to brush my teeth-"

"Mouthwash-"

"Do my hair-"

"Call it bedhead-"

"And _shower_ -"

Sting cracked one eye open and smirked at her expression as she realized what she had said. Her cheeks were on fire as she tried turning away, and if he didn't have heightened vision he wouldn't have seen the difference in the dark. Deciding to humor her he sat up, flicking on the bedside light.

"What was that about a shower? 'Cause trust me blondie, I can oblige to that-"

"No!" she shrieked, covering her face with her left hand. "Just, no. Don't even go there. We're only attached by our wrists. There's no reason why we'd have to shower _together_. Just, you'd need to stand outside the curtain while I shower."

"Won't that take more time?" he asked, pouting. Fairy or not, blondie had an amazing rack going on, and a banging body to boot. Seeing her in all her naked glory would be the one benefit to this whole situation.

"Well, yes," she admitted, glancing away. "And I guess waiting until tomorrow wouldn't hurt. It's not like I can change with your arm attached to mine…"

She let the sentence trail off, Sting's eyes glancing over her figure in the silence. She really didn't seem to know what an entire ensemble consisted of, from her micro-mini skirt (seriously, who wears something like that for travel?) to the midriff bearing tank top, the straps barely holding up her well-endowed chest.

Yeah, without cutting the strap on her top (and bra) there was no way to get her undressed enough for a shower. Moreover, Sting figured he'd lose some of his self-control if she started cutting off clothes, never mind his own attire.

No, showers were a god awful idea. He couldn't reek too badly by tomorrow. After all, they were guild wizards and used to not getting to shower on a daily basis.

Sting cleared his throat, adverting his gaze. "Uh, yeah… good point."

Lucy shrugged, slipping off the heeled sandals she'd been wearing. She looked longingly at the bag she'd worn as she pulled it off her left shoulder, having luckily worn a one strap bag today that she could still get off. He assumed there was some form of sleepwear in the bag that she wouldn't be able to wear, their situation posing the same issues as showering.

He hadn't honestly thought too much about what sleeping next to her would actually be like. He usually flopped into bed in his boxers and called it good. Stripping would probably cause the girl to scream, and if one of her spirits didn't jump out to the rescue Sting assumed Natsu probably would.

Which meant sleeping in his pants, the heavy material quite cumbersome to deal with at night. This whole situation was getting less and less fun.

"Come on then," she grumbled, pulling gently on his wrist. "I'm at least going to brush my hair and teeth."

Sting wrinkled his nose, enjoying the annoyed expression that danced across her face. "Good idea, you're beginning to stink."

"Who exactly used an entire bottle of hot sauce while we were out _and_ garlic?" she challenged, tugging until he followed her along to the bathroom. "It's only going to take a few minutes."

"Yeah, like I believe that," he scoffed, leaning against the wall in the bathroom again. She took less time than he expected, partially because he was letting his arm be dead weight for her, and she really wasn't coordinated with her left. Eventually she gave up, slamming her toothbrush down on the countertop before allowing him to get ready as well, muttering the entire time about how bothersome dragon slayers could be.

The nerve of some people.

"I guess get comfortable," she moped, falling back into the mattress once they were finished. "It's gonna be a long night."

He was a little surprised how upset she was. Really, she could be attached to anyone, at least she was stuck with someone good to look at. Glancing at the blonde he noted how she was pouting, holding her keys loosely in her other hand so she wouldn't roll on them.

Fine, Sting could work with this. At least he'd get to pass out soon like he wanted. One of them would have to deal with a somewhat uncomfortable sleeping position tonight, but he could handle it. "Better adjust if you want a pillow blondie. I can't have you rolling off the end of the bed down there, it might cause me to fall-"

"Yeah, yeah I get the picture," she snapped, turning to crawl to her side of the bed. He tried to catch a glimpse of her ass as she moved, the mini skirt not doing her any favors. Unfortunately she seemed to know what he was aiming for, and refused to turn so he'd get a good angle. "Cut it out you perve!"

"Wear more clothes then!" he huffed, rolling his eyes. "How am I not supposed to look with you crawling around like that?"

"Use some control," she snapped, turning awkwardly until her cuffed arm was stretched out at her side, sliding down the bed until she was comfortable. She kicked the blanket around until she was satisfied with its position, the cover managing to hide the majority of her skin.

Well, that took the last bit of fun out of things. Knowing it was already way too hot in the room Sting grunted, rolling over on his stomach on top of the blanket. This way his arm wasn't pulled across his body, and he slept this way sometimes anyway so it didn't bother him.

"You sleep like Natsu," she muttered, breaking whatever tranquility he'd managed to create.

"Why would I want to know that?" he growled, cracking one eye open. "Actually, never mind. Why do _you_ know that?"

Despite the dark room he could see her rolling her eyes. "Sometimes he sneaks into my room and sleeps in my bed. What, is that not a dragon slayer thing?"

Sting choked, wondering what kind of bizarre relationship blondie had going on with her team. "Um – no! The only time I sneak into a chick's room is to get into her pants."

"Well that's not what happens with me and Natsu!" she huffed, a blush dancing across her cheeks.

"Then why would he-"

"We're going to sleep," she snapped, closing her eyes tighter than before. Apparently talking about her sleeping arrangements with Natsu got under her skin. Interesting.

* * *

Despite how awkward it was trying to sleep with the slayer, Lucy was able to fall asleep pretty quickly. She was actually having a decently pleasant dream until she was yanked out of it, her somewhat comfortable arm jerked roughly to the side and snapping her out of the dream.

She eeped as her bed partner rolled over in his sleep, pulling his arm away as he shifted from his stomach to his back. Lucy found herself pulled into his side, almost like they were cuddling.

For a moment she was frozen, trapped between the sheer awkwardness of their position and the dull pain in her arm from being pulled so suddenly. Sting seemed oblivious to his movement, continuing to slumber on as though nothing was happening.

Glancing at their bodies she fought down the urge to groan. They were intimate looking now, Sting propped on his side almost over her, Lucy sprawled on her back after being yanked across the bed. Her right arm was pulled back into the same position again, her hand pressed against his chest when she got jerked awake.

She yanked it away immediately, fighting down the urge to slap him. Why didn't he wake up? The pulling on his arm had to be just as obvious to him as it was to her. They were connected after all, and even if he wasn't pulled across the bed he should've noticed her extra weight, even while sleeping.

His right arm twitched, pulling away from the angle she'd left it in to stretch out, pulling her wrist behind her back as his hand moved to the bottom of her spine, trying to pull her closer.

Oh, she did not want to know what he was dreaming about. Before anything else could happen she moved her left arm up to his face, deftly striking him across the cheek not enough to totally startle him, but definitely to wake him up.

Then again, he'd probably be pissed off either way.

Sting's eyes snapped open immediately, the blue of his iris's startling in the dim moonlight from outside. For a split second she felt him tense before he seemed to notice her, the hand that momentarily gripped her back easing up.

"When did you get so close?"

Lucy bristled, yanking her arm back in front of her. He was drowsy, and just like Natsu now that he knew he wasn't in danger it would take a moment for him to come to. " _I_ didn't cause this! You rolled over in your sleep and pulled me closer."

He frowned, glancing between them. She hadn't actually gotten to scoot back yet, and their bodies were almost touching. Feeling a blush blossom across her cheeks when she noticed their close proximity she jumped, immediately shuffling back so their chests weren't nearly pressed together.

"Just remember it's your fault," she muttered, looking anywhere but Sting. He didn't seem nearly as bothered by their situation as she did, and it was several moments before he spoke again.

"How the hell do you keep warm?" he asked, catching her off guard. He adverted his gaze in another direction, for some reason not focusing on her. "You don't wear enough clothes during the day, and I could feel how cool your skin is. Get back under the damn blanket. And those clothes are _not_ made for sleeping."

Lucy glanced down, immediately getting redder when she noticed how exposed she was, even in the shadows. A mini skirt wasn't great to sleep in and at some time during the night it rose up to practically being a belt. Her shirt fared better since it was so tight it could hardly move, but it didn't make up for the bottom half of her body.

She squeaked, scooting back a little further as her unrestrained arm moved to try and pull the skirt down to no avail. This couldn't possibly be any more embarrassing, and with god damn Eucliffe of all people!

"Relax blondie, it's not like I'm complaining. You can always come back, I promise to keep you warm."

"Don't tell me you actually use lame lines like that in real life," she snapped, grabbing the sheets with one hand to successfully cover herself again. Everything was tangled up now from their tossing and turning, and it didn't help that Sting was still holding down part of the blankets with his body. "And scoot back! I don't need any help staying warm."

"Really?" he asked, not sounding convinced. His teasing tone was really starting to get on her nerves. "I can always-"

"Just cut it out!" she cried, smacking his arm. "It's bad enough you can hardly stand me during the day, I don't need to listen to you blather all night! Can we please just go back to sleep? And roll over again! My arms killing me from being yanked across the bed by my wrist."

Sting scoffed. "Yeah, yeah I get it blondie. Kill all the fun."

"You said it yourself! This definitely is _not_ fun."

* * *

"This woman better know something," Lucy seethed, practically dragging him along behind her the following morning to go see this reporter. Didn't she realize he liked to sleep in? Her breakneck pace kept their arms in a constant stretched state, blondie practically dragging him down the street in her hot pursuit to see this woman who wrote the article.

Sting would've much rather waited until after breakfast, but apparently he said one to many things to get under her skin. Offering to cut her clothing off for her was apparently 'completely out of the question'.

It's not like he could've anyway. Blondie was hot, and he needed to actually maintain some self-control or face the wrath of all her damn friends who tagged along.

Thankfully they were alone this morning. He dragged her out of bed almost an hour ago when he needed to pee, and after pressing her buttons too many times she dragged him out of the hotel and off to find this woman. Hopefully it wasn't too early and she'd actually be in.

"You know pulling my arm off isn't going to make me walk faster," Sting replied, snapping his arm back. It caused Lucy to lose her balance and she stumbled, allowing Sting to fall in step with her again. "Aren't you the one always complaining your arm hurts? Don't make me grumpy. I guarantee I can complain more than you."

"Yeah, that's not something I want to see," she huffed, patting her pouch of keys. So far Sting hadn't seen any of her spirits save for that little dog thing, and he hoped to keep it that way. Her friends were enough, he couldn't handle a punch of over protective spirits too.

"So, let me ask you something," he continued, watching the mage look around the street. It was quieter than yesterday, possibly because Sting himself wasn't causing a scene storming through the streets looking for a solution. "What are we going to do if she doesn't know anything?"

"I'm trying to not think about it," Lucy replied, her shoulders drooping. "If she doesn't know anything we're back to square one and still stuck together. I guess we could go back to the guild-"

"You do mean _my_ guild, right?" he interrupted, looking annoyed. "I can't continue being away. I'm still the master, and I didn't really tell anyone where I was going. If we don't find out something today I have to go back, and I'll drag you with me if I have to."

Lucy's eyes flashed, her irritation showing. "And what? You think I'm just going to come with you? I have a guild too! I might not be the master, but it is my home and I have just as much of a right to drag you there!"

"But you don't have anything immediate to do at your guild," he argued, turning the last corner to the building. "I need to check on things. Only Minerva and Yukino know that I've even left-"

He was cut off as some green haired twit brushed by them, rudely smacking into Lucy's shoulder. The blonde spun around to watch her rush up to the building they were approaching, stamping her foot at the woman's rudeness.

"Hey! You could at least say sorry when you run into people!"

The woman stopped fiddling with the door they were approaching, exhaling a deep sigh before turning back. She had heavy bags beneath her eyes like she hadn't slept much, and her green hair stuck out at odd angles in a couple places. She opened her mouth to remark, looking extremely irritated before her eyes caught sight of the bracelet connecting them, and her jaw fell open.

"Wowza! You two really found those bracelets didn't you? So many are being recalled now I didn't think I'd get to actually see someone connected!" The woman moved towards them again, eyes fixated on their wrists. "Wow! They even look like one solid band when they fuse!"

Sting glanced towards blondie, his heart sinking. "You don't happen to be the person who wrote the article in yesterday's paper, do you?"

The woman's eyebrows shot up, looking gleefully between the pair. "I am, I am! Eugenia Fitzgerald at your service! My, I never thought I'd get to see the effects of the bracelets so soon in person. How absolutely fascinating. Come in, come in! Let's talk."

Biting his lip, Sting fought the urge to yell at this woman. If she was so impressed by their current predicament then he had no faith that she knew anything worthwhile. As she turned away he opened his mouth to say something snarky, immediately silenced by the swift kick Lucy delivered to his shin.

"Ow! The fuck blondie-"

"Shh!" she chastised, dragging him into the building. Her eyes appeared just as troubled as his own, but she was keeping her worries in better check than she was. "Uh, excuse me Miss-"

"Oh, call me Eugenia!" she gushed, hopping around the office. She snatched out a pair of glasses as she moved around the space, picking up a pad and paper as she went. "Come on, tell me everything! How did you two end up like this?"

"Actually we were hoping you could explain that to us," Lucy explained, rubbing her head with her left hand. With her right she pulled at their wrists, lifting his arm up a bit. "You see, this happened on _accident-_ "

"Oh my, you're from Fairy Tail," Eugenia realized, glancing between the pair. She was sitting on a little chair, looking positively elated until that moment when her shoulders sank and she set the pad aside. "Figures. I should've recognized you. I've written plenty of articles about you, both as a Celestial Mage and as Lucky Lady Lucy Heartfilia."

Sting could feel her stiffen at the term, something he hadn't heard in a while. He knew blondie was from some rich place, but that was about it. She wasn't in his guild, so her past wasn't his concern. "Um, yes…"

"And you're Master Eucliffe," the woman continued, eyes sparkling again as she started putting pieces together. "From Sabertooth! My, how did you two end up together? I would understand if you were in the same guild, but to be from two completely different ones that aren't even in neighboring towns… do I sense some star-crossed love?"

Sting blanched, losing his cool. This trip was more useless than he expected. " _No_ , we aren't anything. This happened because we, like the rest of this fucking town, have no damn idea what's going on with these bracelets."

"And we thought you might know something," Lucy continued, cutting in as Sting's temper rose, "but obviously you know nothing more than we do. We hoped you'd know where the bracelets came from-"

"No one knows anything like that, dearie," Eugenia replied, setting her pen down on the table beside her. "They are not from here in Crocus, or Magnolia or any of the otherbig towns. I don't know who made them. All the contracts that local shops signed go through some rich man in the North, someone I've never heard of. But he isn't a mage, so unless he's contracted someone who can use magic to _block_ magic, I don't know how you'd find out who he is."

Lucy's eyes darkened, taking in the woman's words. Sting tried to read her expression, but he couldn't get past those guarded iris's. He didn't know enough about her past to guess what was going on, and old Eugenia didn't seem like she knew much of anything.

"The man," blondie said, eyes narrowing a hair. "Do you know his name?"

"Of course, but it doesn't mean anything to me. Frederick Berchicci is his name, I think with Berchicci Enterprises. He seemed like a big wig, I've never seen his company working down here. Now, about you two-"

"A-and you don't know anything about the bracelets?" Lucy cut in, surprising Sting. Her voice didn't usually waver, and he caught the note of panic in her voice. He expected that this conversation would be a little… calmer than it seemed to be going. The name Berchicci meant nothing to him, but maybe she recognized it from her past.

"Nothing more than I wrote in the article. I think some of the bracelets started out in the north, but it's hard to say where. They sprouted up over the past few weeks in shops, and only mages are effected so it's safe to say this is an attempt to cancel their magic. But how that happens? I'm a reporter dearie! I don't know how that could happen."

Lucy nodded, her movements slower than before. Sting noted the change in her demeanor, the way her eyes suddenly seemed to zone out like she'd forgotten something. He tugged on her wrist with his own, hoping to snap her out of whatever weird trance she'd fallen into, completely missing whatever the woman was blithering on about now.

"Blondie?" he asked, noticing how she seemed to be in her own little world. Whatever this Eugenia person said seemed to strike a chord, and he actually thought for a moment that she was going to start panicking as she thought over what they were told.

It didn't mean anything to him. So far, he didn't think they'd learned anything important.

"We need to go," she said, interrupting Eugenia. "I'm sorry, I know you want an interview with us but we don't have time. Come on Sting."

She practically dragged him back out the door, ignoring whatever the woman was saying behind them. She didn't stop moving until they were down the block and around the corner, Sting jogging to keep up with her.

"Hey, slow down. You going to explain what's going on?"

Lucy was wavering her arms in what seemed to be an attempt to calm herself and dry whatever unshed tears she had. Sting frowned, wondering what in the world was wrong with her. So what this Ber..banana dude was making the bracelet? That didn't really help them out.

Frederick Berchinni was a friend of my fathers," she began, pacing back and forth before him. She couldn't go far, so really she was just walking a couple paces and turning around. "He's a god awful person. My father once had the dark guild Phantom Lord storm Fairy Tail, and that's nothing compared to this man."

"Say what?"

"This is bad Sting," she continued, gripping the pouch on her hip until her knuckles turned white. "Berchinni is vindictive. If he had the bracelets produced this is no funny accident, this is a direct attack on magic. He's trying to flush out mages."

Sting's eyes narrowed. "Why would he bother doing that? Up north magic isn't even as common. It's not like he's got competition."

"That's not the point!" Lucy snapped, spinning on him. "There's some ulterior plan, something we aren't seeing. The Berchinni's make my father's estate look like nothing, and he was one of the richest people in the county. If he's trying to handicap mages, this is bad. Really, really bad."

 **A/n:** Let me know what you think! I got a couple awkward Sting/Lucy moments in there, because you always need some of those. Please R&R and I'll see you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy, to date, had yet to talk to her spirits about the awkward situation she found herself in yesterday. But with a choice between talking to Loke and listening to Erza and Rufus brainstorm the many ways to break into an unbreakable rich man's fortress, her first choice was the debate between the mages.

Yet somehow she still ended up talking to Loke instead.

"I never realized you hated me so much," Sting muttered, arms crossed as he glared at the spirit. So far, Lucy hadn't gotten a word in, what with Loke going off on some _ridiculous_ spiel about the blond seeing her naked.

"We do have to keep princesses innocence intact," Loke replied, pushing his glasses up his nose again. Lucy seethed, successfully ripping her arm back towards her body and breaking Sting's rigid stance.

"That's not even the problem here!" she cried, jabbing her opposite hand in his direction. "Did you not notice the bracelet?!"

"Oh we've known about that," Loke replied, smiling at her surprise. "The bracelet represses the magic the two of you control. It also connects you in a way. Your right wrists are linked, connected to one source that moderates your magic. That's probably part of the reason why you are unable to use any magic with that arm. The repressing link is trying to work with both types of unrelated magic, and in canceling them out equally it also builds a connection of sorts. We could sense Sting near you, we just weren't really sure why."

The slayer huffed, rolling his eyes. "You didn't even know it was me. You called me _Natsu_ when you showed up."

"Well to be fair when ridiculous things happen Natsu typically ends up being involved somehow."

"I can still hear you!" Natsu cried out, interrupting their little chat. So far Lucy hadn't gotten to explain how they exactly ended up linked together, what with the pair bickering so much. She could feel one of the veins in her forehead beginning to bulge as her best friend suddenly joined the fray.

This wasn't going well.

"Look," she sighed, ignoring the fact that Loke was still partially glaring at Sting through his shades, "You don't need to hate on him so much. He hasn't been that big of a jerk so far."

Sting, confused, shot her a look. "Uh, thanks?"

"Other than his manners at dinner last night," Lucy grumbled, continuing on. "I was actually hoping you could help Loke. You seem to kind of understand what is going on. You don't happen to know anything else about the bracelets, do you? It's not related to something else you've seen in the past, is it?"

Leo frowned, rubbing the back of his head. "That's not really why I came out. I just wanted to know what's going on. We all sensed the change in the celestial world, but you didn't seem to be in danger so we waited to see what would happen. I can ask Grandpa Crux, but unless this is somehow related to celestial magic it'll be hard for us to research anything."

"That's what I thought," she sighed, clasping her hands together. Sting shot her a look, one she pointedly ignored. "But I don't have anything else to tell you. Really, all that's gone on so far is we're trying to ignore one another the best we can. It's sort of hard when you are attached, but we made it work… sort of."

"That's why you two were sleeping so close together last night," Natsu muttered, glaring off somewhere to the left. "I could smell your scents. You were close."

"It's not like the bracelet just comes off at night," Sting snapped, narrowing his eyes. For being the sarcastic moron he was, Lucy was surprised he held his tongue so long. "What do you expect?"

Natsu huffed, and Lucy could sense a fight breaking out. It was bad enough that Sting already poked the lion (no pun intended of course) by saying Loke's ears reminded him of a fox, but now he had to go antagonizing Natsu too? Seriously, she was going to end up smacking him soon enough.

"Anyways we should see if the others have figured anything out from the information we gave them," she said quickly, shifting between the two slayers. "Thanks for checking on me Loke, but I'm really okay right now."

Loke frowned, glancing skeptically between the trio. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," she assured, cutting in before anyone else could. "Let Virgo know I'll be calling her out tonight. I think I'm going to be needing her for some celestial clothes."

All eyes briefly moved to the bracelet, which obviously obscured either of its wearers from removing their tops without destroying the clothing. Lucy definitely couldn't replace every top she owed by shredding off one side every day.

Leo hesitated a moment, seeming to have something else to say. Instead he bowed, thinking better of whatever it is. "Alright, but I'll be watching. Call me if you need anything."

Lucy nodded, watching her friend disappear in the golden shimmer of a celestial. In his absence, she didn't fail to notice that none of the tension left the group, and Natsu and Sting were still glaring at each other.

With a sigh she turned, dragging Sting in the direction of the others. "Come on guys."

* * *

"I've no memory of the name Berchinni," Rufus said, tapping his chin. After separating themselves from Loke, the group found their friends in an impromptu a little gathering in Ezra, Natsu and Gray's room. Even in the hallway Sting had noticed the conversation didn't seem to be going so well. "Though I can't say I've done much investigation into rich monarchs. The north isn't a topic of particular interest to me."

"Still, the threat of flushing out magic is a dangerous one," Erza continued, crossing her arms. "I'm surprised the counsel hasn't already caught wind of this."

"With the way those old fleabags handle things it's a miracle they catch wind of anything but themselves," Gray agreed, hands stuffed down into his pockets. Sting was moderately surprised to see he still had so much clothing on. "I just don't understand how he can get away with this. Who lets a crazy rich dude mass-produce something like this?"

Sting glanced towards Lucy as the bickering continued, noticing her silence. She hadn't said much since they entered the room, Natsu going off on his own to one side. He knew things were getting to her when she started acting to odd with her spirit, he just didn't expect the silence so soon afterward.

How exactly was he supposed to deal with this? The quiet was nice but if she started moping that was something he couldn't handle. He couldn't have one side of his body dragging along because the girl felt discouraged!

And considering how worked up she was not even an hour ago when they spoke to that hag, he expected more fire from her now.

Instead she wasn't even contributing. Something was up, something she wasn't saying. Hell, maybe she was more stumped by everything than he thought. Wasn't she supposed to be bright?

"…more research," Rufus continued, Sting barely catching the end of what he was saying. "I'm guessing tabloids and gossip columns will tell us more than some dusty books. I've never even heard of Berchinni Enterprises."

"All this talk is a waste of time," Natsu argued, sitting in the corner with Happy now. He was still brooding over the conversation, and Sting had to suppress a smirk knowing it vexed the man that he couldn't tag along earlier this morning. "We know who made the things! Let's just go torch his house."

"Traveling up north will take time," Rogue pointed out, glancing Natsu's way. He'd somehow gotten the only actual chair in the room, sitting at the desk with both of their exceeds. "A few weeks by foot for us slayers, if we took a direct path and avoided any trains. Maybe a little less by train but the rides are long. Finding his house and storming the place will take longer. It won't be a quick mission, and there's no monetary payout. Besides, a long distance attack will be noticed way before anyone got there. It would be a waste of time."

"Getting these damn things off sounds like a good payout," Sting interrupted, rolling his eyes. He flexed his right hand, feeling it beginning to fall asleep as Lucy kept it pulled towards herself. "But I don't know how we would actually travel that far north. Walking is one thing, but walking like this is taxing." He shook his wrist to emphasize his point. "Our shoulders will be screaming by the time we get there, and we are half as useful in a fight."

"Plus Berchinni is ruthless," Lucy muttered, speaking up for the first time since they came in. "His enterprise is cutthroat. In the north he's practically king. Crocus is so far south from his domain the king isn't even considered top tier up there. He runs almost everything. Getting to him will be a lot of work."

Erza nodded, considering her friends saddened words. Half a moment later she began to glow, and Sting only slightly flinched at the realization that she was requipping.

When she reappeared Sting jumped, dragging Lucy's startled arm with him in his haste. She slammed the butt of her new weapon into the ground, rigid gaze seeming to slice through the whole of the room. "Adamantine Armor! We will stand up to whoever dares to defy us and threaten magic!"

Somewhere in the background behind Erza, Sting could barely make out Natsu and Gray panicking, looking ready to run. "It's cool Erza! We don't have to armor up just yet!"

"Be quiet Natsu," she muttered, looking longingly into the distance. "It is always time to armor up."

Sting blinked. Was she for real? Intimidating, but for real?

He thought he heard Happy mutter _"that's the great Erza for you"_ but was distracted by Lucy turning, dragging his arm along with her as she shifted closer towards the lone window. "We can't win on strength alone. Berchinni built his empire on cunning and being able to trick people out of what they deserve. His home was always a fortress. I'm sure it'll be even worse now."

"You've been there before?" Sting asked, cocking his head. She hadn't mentioned that part yet.

"A couple times. Father would take us up there to keep us in good standing. His house is a maze, I used to get lost in the halls. Half of it is barred off by guards, so I'm sure he's got plenty of other inventions up his sleeve than just these bracelets."

"So he's a powerhouse," Gray muttered, sounding annoyed. "Seriously, is there anything this guy doesn't have?"

Lucy, without glancing over her shoulder sighed and remarked, "Gray, your pants."

Sting smirked when he realized she hadn't missed a beat, noting her friend's nakedness without having to see. Apparently she had some sort of weird sixth sense that allowed her to know these things. Glancing around the room he grunted, realizing where things were heading.

"Well, sounds like we're going on a mission."

* * *

"No way, I have to get my things too!" Lucy seethed, glaring at her blond counterpart. So far, despite her many argumentative points, he was not budging about going back to the Sabertooth guild first. As master he needed to make an announcement to other members there that he would be gone for an extended period and place a temporary lead in charge, _blah blah blah._

Sure, it made sense, but it made her no less grumpy about things. How was she supposed to have time to go home and pack if she was stuck at Sabertooth for the next few days?

There were a lot of issues with going on an adventure like this, like her rent and the fact that they were going to head up north where it was colder. She didn't exactly have a bunch of clothing just lying around for the winter months, and she definitely didn't have it with her right now. She wasn't supposed to stay in Crocus for more than a day, and now they were discussing a mission that could take a month or more.

She cringed at the thought. A month… her landlady would have her head.

"Yeah, yeah get Erza to grab some clothes or something," Sting grumbled, rolling his eyes yet _again_. "If she's even coming. The more people who come on this mission the more problems we are going to have. It should really just be the two of us, but I don't know how well we'd do in a fight."

Lucy sighed, unable to disagree. So far she'd been stuck to Sting for roughly a day and a half. She would have her spirits with her the entire trip, but she could sense their unease with the situation. If they were really somehow connected, sharing _magic_ , how would that affect them in the long run?

Really, she just wanted to get the whole thing over with. Her brief conversation with Loke earlier echoed in her head and threatened a headache. It was all a little overwhelming.

Glancing at her arm-mate, she wondered how stressed out the seemingly carefree man actually was. She had her personal life to worry about, but he had an entire freaking guild to worry over.

Maybe he wasn't totally out of line for wanting to go there first.

"Master Makarov will probably have a hand in deciding who will come," Lucy said, smiling at the thought. Anything to distract her from how defeated she felt about things. "He'll help pick whoever he thinks will be the most beneficial to the mission. Knowing Fairy Tail everyone would try to come and help out, but that won't really work. I'm positive Erza will be someone he agrees should come along."

Sting made a face, apparently finding something weird about what she'd said. Instead of commenting he just shook his head, rolling his eyes skyward. "Fairies."

"Look, I'm not any happier about what's happening, but could you try being less sarcastic and sassy about everything?"

He grinned. "Does that mean you'll come to Sabertooth and stop arguing?"

Sighing, she nodded in defeat. She already knew she'd have to go there one way or another, and getting it over with sooner seemed like the better option. Besides, she could see Yukino this way, so it wasn't a total loss.

"At least your friend Gray keeps Natsu distracted," Sting noted, drawing Lucy's attention again. Sure, Natsu was a little grouchy that she'd be going to Sabertooth, but it wasn't like they completely hated each other. The guilds were on decent terms, so really things could be a lot worse.

Presently, Natsu and Gray were in the middle of another brawl. She'd already talked to her team about having to go to Sabertooth expecting the inevitable, and while Erza was agreeable the other two were a little more disastrous.

It still didn't make her any more excited to go. Her little tiff with Natsu earlier didn't sit well with her either, and she wondered what would happen when she actually got to Magnolia. For one reason or another he wasn't taking the whole situation so great.

Really, she could handle herself and besides, Sting wasn't actually doing anything wrong here. He was just as screwed as she was.

"I've let Yukino know we are heading back," Rufus said, coming closer. They were waiting outside the hotel for the rest of Sting's team, and she could see Rogue following behind with one exceed on each shoulder. "I told her we shouldn't be more than a couple hours."

Lucy felt her eyebrows rising. For the life of her, she knew almost nothing about the Sabertooth guild hall. "You guys are that close to Crocus?"

"Yeah," Sting replied, shrugging. "We aren't as open about where our guild hall is. It's not in the middle of a town, it's off at the base of some mountains, past the edge of the forest. It's not too far from here like you said, but to have space between you and the townsfolk is nice."

She nodded, intrigued. Knowing the location of Sabertooth was never really that important to her, but knowing she would actually get to see the guild itself was exciting. And if it was only a couple hours walk she'd have enough time to hopefully rest before having to have any more taxing conversations.

"I guess lead the way then," she said, feeling herself beginning to sweat. As un-scary as Sabertooth now was she'd never gone to another guild alone before, and she couldn't ask her friends to come when they needed to go back to Magnolia and explain things. She'd already said her goodbyes for now, so really there was no reason to delay the process.

"Hey Luce," Natsu said, interrupting her thoughts. She glanced his way to see that the scuffle was over and Gray was wearing an alarmingly scant amount of clothes. He looked relatively unscathed, which meant their brawling was rather harmless for once. "Hold up a second."

"We do have to get going," Sting groaned, and she could hear the annoyance in his tone. "I have an entire guild to go upset."

"It's not going to be that bad," Rogue replied, moving closer. "There are more than enough people who can handle things until we return."

Sting twitched, barely moving her wrist. "We?"

Lucy zoned them out, pulling herself as far away as she could while still being attached to Sting. "What's up Natsu?"

He rubbed the back of his head, glancing in the direction of the twin slayers. Lucy assumed he probably wished they could step further away but there wasn't anything they could do about it. "You're really going to Sabertooth?"

"Well yeah, it's not exactly an option. Once we get there and Sting talks to all the Sabertooth members I'm supposed to use one of the lacrima to contact all of you and see where to go from there."

Natsu nodded awkwardly, looking unsure. "Look, I talked with Happy and if you'd rather I can totally come to Sabertooth-"

"Natsu," she said soothingly, smiling, "I'll be fine. We will all meet up in a few days and start heading north. We still have to come up with a team to go anyway."

"Don't worry Luce," he replied, giving her left shoulder a tight squeeze, "I'll be there with you the whole way. I'm all fired up!"

"You're always fired up," Sting snapped, interrupting. "Now can we go? I'm trying to beat the heat here. It's nearly noon."

"He just wants to go lie down," Rufus muttered, just loud enough for Lucy to hear. From the annoyed look Natsu shot Sting's way she knew the others heard it too. "Sting always lies down after addressing the guild."

"You make me sound lazy!"

Shrugging, Lucy watched Rufus turn away and wave over his shoulder. "I'm just stating facts. Now we better get going if you actually intend to nap."

Sting grumbled, immediately starting off after his guild mate. Lucy followed along, shooting a dazzling smile over her shoulder towards her friends. "I'll see you in a few days!"

She turned away quickly, unable to meet the uncertain eyes of her friends. Sabertooth wasn't necessarily an enemy anymore, but she knew it was one thing to be on good terms and another for the guild master to literally drag her away with him. Sure, it couldn't be helped, but people didn't always see things reasonably.

"Just relax," Sting muttered, surprising her. "You're not the one about to go tell everyone in your guild you're going on a trip."

* * *

Some things about the Sabertooth guild hall were more of an eyesore than others.

Lucy felt her eyebrow twitch, trying to decide if what she was seeing was ridiculous or hilarious. "You… have a throne?"

"You can sit on it with me when I address everyone," he replied, winking. "Though I figured a _princess_ would be familiar with overdone chairs."

She signed. Somewhere during the walk Sting reverted back to his snarky self, and now she was paying the price. How she loathed the others who literally abandoned her to this fate the moment they crossed the threshold. Hell, she hadn't even seen Yukino yet to talk about her woes.

"I never needed a throne to make myself feel important when I was rich," she countered, sticking out her tongue. Maybe she should be taking things a little more seriously but after the dramatic morning she didn't have the energy to be serious.

Sting's nap idea was starting to sound pretty fabulous.

"So how long do you wait before telling everyone you're leaving?" she asked, looking around. The few members of Sabertooth that she knew nodded their way when they entered, but most people just shot them curious looks. It was pretty obvious that they were stuck together, but no one was bold enough to say anything out loud just yet.

"Did you catch yourself a fairy master?" someone asked, interrupting the muttering around them. So far they hadn't gone to the front of the room, but it was apparent everyone knew they were there. She felt Sting shift next to her, barely hearing his quiet groan.

"Dobengal," Sting replied, lifting his chin. "I see your back from your mission."

The other man narrowed his eyes, glaring Lucy's way. She felt her eyebrows rising, surprised by the hostility. She didn't have any real memories of this man, other than seeing him in the stands at the games. Apparently he remembered her well enough.

"How could you get stuck to such a weak girl?" he continued, glaring her way. If Lucy could see his lips, she imagined they would be set in a perpetual scowl. "Where have you been? There was no word about you bringing anyone back! Yukino-"

"-Wasn't aware I _was_ bringing anyone back until recently," he countered, and Lucy could feel him tensing beside her. Whoever this Dobengal was, he was getting under his skin.

"Is she a recruit then?" the man continued, eyeing her up and down. "Or is she here because you didn't break her hand to separate yourselves?"

"As great of an idea as that is," Sting snapped, narrowing his eyes, "We already tried something like that and it didn't work. As I'm sure you've all realized, the bracelets are a problem. And even if Yukino didn't have time to tell you I'd be bringing Lucy back I'm sure you've all gotten a rundown on what these shitty things can do."

There was a collective murmur through the hall, and Lucy realized everyone seemed to be gossiping and deciding whose side to choose. It was hard to decide based on people's expression who was backed more, but given that Dobengal was the only one arguing with Sting she assumed his opinion was not the majority.

It was kind of surprising. She'd never seen someone go after the master of a guild so directly before, not as a fellow member. Even Laxus had more class whenever he argued with their master.

"That's not-" Dobengal began.

"-look," Lucy interrupted, ignoring the glare Sting directed at her, "It's not like we decided to get stuck together for no damn reason. Your master is only stuck to me because the bracelets melded together when they got close. _That's it_. So are you going to keep yelling or are you actually going to listen to what he has to say?"

Silence fell over the guild, and from the corner of her eye she could see that even Sting was at a loss for words. Towards the back wall Rogue and Yukino stood, apparently having heard the debate.

Well, at least she could successfully silence them.

Sting cleared his throat, shooting her another look like he didn't know what to think. "Yeah, well, that's about it. There isn't all that much to say right now…"

Lucy partially zoned out as Sting talked, noting that he never dragged her towards that stupid throne to address the room. Really, it didn't seem like he needed to. Opposed or not the entire guild listened with rapt attention as he gave a quick rundown of what was going on and that he'd be departing in two days' time when things were in order.

She tried to ignore that he was saying they'd be spending two nights there, which meant two nights in his room.

She didn't even know what to say about that.

"…which will be determined in the morning," he continued, her eyes shifting back to him. "Right now there are some things I have to get done before anyone can take over temporarily as guild master anyway. Tonight we will talk about who will be in charge in my absence. Right now, I need to retire to my office."

Lucy felt tension rise, Sting's glare sliding to meet that of Dobengal's, his gaze never wavering from the pair. "Any questions?"

No one objected, but she could read the questions behind some of the guild member's eyes. She had yet to see Minerva, something she wasn't exactly saddened by. Dobengal, despite his little argument, didn't fight Sting's words either.

If nothing else, he seemed to have control of the guild, even if everyone didn't seem pleased about it.

"I'll be upstairs if you need me," he continued, glaring down the room, "but not for anything regarding leadership in my absence. It is something that will be discussed amongst everyone in the guild tonight, as it will affect every member."

Again, no one fought his words. Without saying anything further he turned, practically dragging her up the nearest stairwell. Lucy almost tripped in her haste to keep up with him, his irritation practically seeping off him in waves.

If she wasn't so damn close, she probably wouldn't have even heard him cussing. "Fucking Dobengal."

 **A/n: So this chapter sat as a WIP on my computer for about a month because I couldn't figure out how I wanted things to progress. Hopefully the chapter was worth the wait. Let me know what you think and how you think the Sabertooth debate will go!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Look, you don't have to break my arm off. I'm coming with you either way."

Sting shot her an annoyed look, one she pointedly ignored as he continued dragging her down the hall. His mood hadn't calmed at all since leaving the main room in the guild, and she wasn't even sure what kind of rooms they were passing as they walked. Maybe she'd have a chance to take in the scenery if he wasn't walking at such a breakneck pace.

This was going to get old really, really fast.

He jerked open the second to last door on the third floor, causing Lucy to crash into him at his sudden stop. Sting ignored her, dragging her into the room to slam the door shut again.

Lucy pulled herself away from him as far as she could, rubbing the skin of her wrist. "Would you cut it out? If you keep pulling that hard this thing's gonna bruise."

That seemed to snap him out of it, the Saber blinking a couple time before refocusing his attention on her. He cringed, like he just realized how hard he'd been dragging her down the hallway. "Right, sorry."

"Next time try walking at a regular pace," she grumbled, looking away. "Or at least let me know that I should start jogging."

Sting narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't _jogging_."

"Right, my mistake. Fast-walking."

Huffing, he looked away, directing his attention to the rest of the room. It gave Lucy a moment to actually take in the space he lived in, from the messy oversized bed to the massive lacrima screen decorating one wall, to the in-house kitchenette that looked like it had never been used.

Well, being master had to have some perks.

"I'm taking a nap," he grumbled, dragging her towards the bed. Despite herself she blushed, knowing it was completely unnecessary. They slept together in the same bed just last night, and aside from some rather annoying mishaps nothing all that terrible happened. From the exhausted look on Sting's face, she'd be surprised if he managed to make it all the way on the mattress without passing out.

On second thought, he better not fall off the bed. The last thing she wanted was to be pulled off with him. Her wrist was already sore.

Sting flopped down on the bed, his right arm stuck above his body as Lucy looked down at him, glancing between her wrist and the end of the bed. Without stepping over him there was no way she'd be able to get up there.

He seemed to notice, cracking one eye open. "If you get up here quickly I promise I won't check out your panties as you climb over me."

Lucy eeked, feeling a blush burn from her forehead to her chest. "Perve!" she screamed, smacking Sting with her free hand. He grunted, using his left hand to reach up and touch the side of his head, giving Lucy a brief moment to hop over him onto the bed.

Damn mini-skirts. She'd never had so many problems before, even on missions. If she had to have Virgo bring her new clothes, she was going to request shorts and at least save herself some embarrassment.

Sting grunted beside her as she adjusted, turning to his right side to glare at her. "The hell blondie?"

She turned up her nose, looking away from him. "Well you shouldn't be threatening to look anyways. What kind of pervert does that?"

"What – _me_? What kind of psychotic blonde bimbo wears skirts that short and expects to _not_ get looked at?"

"That's not the point! You don't have to be so crude about everything. I'm not trying to flash you."

He frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Then why bother with the skirts? Don't you just end flashing people in battle anyway? Is this like some sort of tactical plan?"

Lucy scowled, turning her eyes down to glare at Sting's comforter. " _No,_ it's not. Why are you making such a big deal about this anyway? It's not like I'm the only girl around here that wears skirts."

Propping himself up on his elbow, he ignored the glare she sent his way when he pulled on her arm to do so. "You're the only one who gets this upset over it. Seriously, I tease Yukino about this shit all the time and she's never gotten this worked up. What's the big deal anyway? I'm picking on you Lucy, I'm not trying to weird you out."

She paused, refusing to answer. Sting's words hung in the air between them, and he started to wonder if maybe there was some merit there after all. Just as he was about to ask her if she had a good reason to be bothered she cut him off, shooting him a glare. "I thought you wanted to nap."

Moment over. He let it go, deciding he didn't really care anyways. Sure, he'd be stuck to her for the next couple weeks until they got to the damn north and convinced this freak to take the bracelets off, so if he wanted to find out what bothered her so much he'd have plenty of time then.

So long as her meddlesome friends didn't make things any harder.

Relenting, he flopped onto his back again, ignoring the groan she let out when he pulled on her sore wrist again. Glancing down he noted the red rim that was beginning to form around the metal band, the skin getting rubbed raw from his constant pulling.

Well damn, he wasn't having that issue and the bracelet was just as tight on him. Then again, she didn't have dragon slayer magic in her back pocket to help with the endurance of her skin. He hadn't realized he'd been pulling enough to do that.

Sitting up, he immediately felt a pang of guilt. He was annoyed with her, but he wasn't out to cause her more grief. Lucy seemed to notice his action, glancing over from her sitting position on the other side of the bed.

He huffed, wondering why it bothered him. "There's a little bit of healing salve in the top drawer over there. It isn't much, and it's definitely not healing magic, but Rufus whipped it up one day for me after I beat Jiemma. You can use it on your wrist. Maybe it'll help."

She looked surprised, not moving for a moment before she looked towards the drawer. "Oh, thank you."

Sting grunted, hoping she didn't make a big deal out of this. "Yeah, whatever. Don't mention it."

* * *

Being at Sabertooth wasn't as horrific as Lucy first assumed.

That is, aside from the massive screaming match that evening between Dobengal and Sting. There was definitely unease around the hall, but the real tension seemed to be solely between those two. She wasn't sure what would lead to such animosity, but to date he seemed to be the only one challenging Sting.

It had to be frightening to debate leaving your guild when your place of power could be threatened by someone else. She could feel Sting's agitation as they argued, and her only hope was that the two didn't start fighting. She wasn't sure how much of a liability (or nuisance) she'd be during a fight, and she definitely didn't want to find out in front of the entire guild.

He definitely couldn't leave the guild to anyone weak, or anyone who might be opposed. That much was certain.

"Back off," Orga cried, finally separating the pair. A decent portion of the guild had tried so far, and no one had actually succeeded. Lucy was only marginally surprised that one of the largest members was the one to separate the heated pair.

Marginally.

"Master will decide who oversees his duties while he is away for personal business," Yukino agreed, standing off to one side. She seemed to have taken the smarter route of self-preservation.

Lucy would most certainly be on the sidelines if she could. The two were exuding power, and it was a little overwhelming to be standing so nearby. That, and she was slightly afraid for her health. She had little doubt that both men were reckless, and she did not need to be attached to someone like that during a brawl.

Plus, every time Sting got agitated and tensed with power, she got shocked by the excess magic. That was something they would definitely need to work on.

"I already know who will be in charge while I'm away," Sting continued, surprising the crowd. Lucy was with him all day and this was the first she'd heard of a decision. "I'd never leave someone in charge that you could so easily blow over Dobengal."

"Afraid of a little friendly competition?" the other man challenged, arching an eyebrow.

"It's not a competition if you decide to just take over my position while I'm gone. In case you've failed to notice, you aren't the top choice for master. Fuck, _I_ don't even know if I'm top choice for master. But I am master now, and what I say is word. So unless you're gonna fight me for it, back off."

Lucy tensed, wondering if she should summon a spirit. Having extra back up during a crazy mess like this couldn't hurt.

Dobengal surprised her by scoffing, taking a step or two back. "I'm not going to fight you now, not with that _girl_ stuck to you. If I'm going to take you on Sting I want you at your full power, not crippled by some Fairy reject."

It happened a little too fast for her to process. One moment Dobengal was standing there mouthing off, the next he was about fifteen feet back, slamming through one of the dining hall tables.

Lucy blinked. She hadn't actually felt her arm move all the much. Looking over, she realized Sting hadn't moved hardly at all, his right arm still hanging loosely at his side.

Her eyes widened a fraction. He'd punched Dobengal with his _left_ hand, and after being stuck to him for over a day she was well aware that he was right hand dominant.

He wasn't even trying when he took the other guild member down. He literally did it to shut him up.

"Anyone else wanna complain?" Sting asked, arm still up as he looked around. The silence in the guild was deafening, and Lucy realized even Yukino and Rogue seemed a little surprised by the display of power.

"Well that's a start," he continued, dropping his stance in the silence. His eyes swept the room a moment, and she wondered what was passing through his head. "Now, onto the temporary guild master."

That seemed to perk everyone up, and as Dobengal picked himself up out of the destroyed table Lucy noticed a few people helping him out, but they seemed to be paying more attention to Sting than anything. She wasn't even sure they sided with him.

"Rogue and Yukino are coming with me on my mission," Sting said, surprising the blonde. Again, the things she didn't know where astounding. How did anything get planned when she was literally right there, or was this just an unspoken agreement? "In my absence the temporary master will have the same duties and control that I would, however no drastic changes will be made until my return. I have people within the guild who report to me if anything goes awry."

People muttered throughout the room, whispering amongst themselves. Lucy wondered who he had picked, her eyes glancing to Rogue and Yukino once more. The pair had a set of mischievous smiles going on.

Oh yeah, they had to orchestrate at least some of this. But when and how, she had no idea. Maybe it was some sort of dragon slayer telepathy thing.

She looked around, trying to decide who he picked. Maybe Rufus since he was entrusted when they went to Crocus, or Orga who got in the way when Dobengal was being a jerk. She wasn't entirely certain who else he trusted in the guild.

Looking back towards Yukino again, her eyes widened as she noticed a figure behind the girl. No way…

"I'm sure you morons won't try anything with her in charge," Sting continued, cracking a grin. "She'd make fools out of you if you tried anyway, right Minerva?"

"That's sort of the idea," she replied, stepping past Lucy's celestial friend. The blonde herself pulled back, recalling her last unfortunate encounter with the mage. If Sting noticed, he didn't say anything.

"I doubt anyone will give you trouble milady," Sting agreed, nodding. "I also have complete faith that you can keep everyone from burning down the hall."

Minerva smirked, but even from Lucy's spot behind Sting she thought it looked forced. She lacked the confidence she'd become used to seeing on the Saber's face. Minerva definitely wasn't withdrawn by any means, but she seemed more subdue.

Her eyes, they were softer too. They glanced in Lucy's direction but she avoided meeting her gaze, afraid of what she might see. This was not someone she had fond memories of, and although the games were over she'd kept her distance from the territory mage. There was no reason to go stirring the pot, especially when Minerva already tried killing her once.

How Sting believed she wouldn't attempt to overturn the guild and take his place while he was gone she didn't understand. Even Dobengal seemed like a better option at this point.

"Rufus will assist milady with keeping you buffoons in order," Sting continued, trying to cross his arms. He seemed to remember Lucy was there again, dropping his stance. "It shouldn't really be any different. It's all set in order, and they will be our point of contact if anything goes wrong. You'll be able to reach us by lacrima, of course."

Many of the guild members nodded, and Lucy couldn't believe it. This was the girl willing to do anything to make them the best in Fiore, even crazy dangerous things. Didn't the guild realize that?

She tried looking on the bright side. Maybe they knew something she didn't about Minerva. Or maybe this was all a huge mistake.

Lucy looked away, trying to focus on something that would ease her mind. This was going to blow up in Sting's face, she was sure of it.

* * *

Sting was pretty sure if they didn't get this over with soon Lucy would pass out. She'd already avoided looking at him the entire way back to the room, and now she was going to worry a hole into his pocket with her continued pacing.

"It will work, princess," Virgo said again, clasping her hands together. "The bra hooks together beneath your right arm and has one strap, so you won't have to worry about removing it at night."

Lucy blushed, and Sting laughed at her embarrassment. "Virgo!"

The spirit blinked, tilting her head to the side. "That one doesn't have straps that come off, which wouldn't support your wonderful chest anyways princess. We will have to cut it off."

"Stop talking about my chest!"

"I also brought tops that will close on one side or another," Virgo continued, talking like Lucy hadn't. "Sometimes you may need to ask Sting for help-"

"I-I'm not doing that!"

Sting laughed harder, nearly falling off the bed at how ridiculous this all was. At least it helped to put him in a better mood after the disaster downstairs a little while ago. Watching the fairy fall apart from sheer embarrassment was a lot funnier than he expected.

"But princess, how else will you get into the clothes?"

"I'll think of something!"

Virgo blinked, seeming to think something over. "Is it punishment time now?"

"No!" Lucy screamed, dragging out the celestial's key. "Thanks but no thanks Virgo! I'll figure it out!"

The pink haired spirit saluted as she disappeared, leaving a shirt and (rather large) bra in her wake. She'd mentioned giving more when they met up with her team in Magnolia, but he wondered if it'd be enough until they left.

The blonde herself was still glaring at the floor, ignoring her new clothing additions. Sting didn't care so much about destroying some of his clothes, especially when he could just use the heat of his white dragon light to burn the fabric right off. He'd have to stop wearing his favorite gloves for a bit, but that wasn't the worst thing about this whole thing.

Being a girl seemed a whole lot worse. He considered offering to burn her clothing off to speed the process along, but he figured she would just slap him. Besides, he'd already had inappropriate thoughts about the hot blonde sharing beds with him, he seriously didn't need to make it worse.

He glanced away, hoping to get his mind out of the gutter. It wasn't that he'd ever had fantasies about Natsu's busty partner before, but it was hard to not notice all her wonderful assets when they were so close together. He really didn't need to be giving himself ideas about what he'd do to her. Their situation was already god awful enough, adding being a perve to the list wouldn't make it better.

He needed to think about something else. The disaster downstairs earlier, that would work…

Lucy cleared her throat awkwardly, forcing him to glance her way again. She was looking at the clothes, fingering the hem of the top like she couldn't decide if she liked it or hated it.

She took a breath, seeming to screw up her courage. "I want to take a shower."

Sting blinked, trying to decide if she was joking or not. "You're gonna have to get naked."

"I-I-you can keep this arm," she continued, immediately back peddling. "I can shower without it. But we don't know how long we will be gone on this mission, and with multiple dragon slayers we'll be doing a lot of walking so we don't know when we will be in a city again and I don't want to be dirty the whole time."

Raising an eyebrow, he watched the girl's cheeks redden. She'd said everything in one long breath, and her embarrassment was pretty damn evident.

He couldn't exactly disagree though. He hadn't showered since the bracelet got stuck on his arm, and the idea of waiting another several days didn't sound great. Even on the road you could usually find a stream or something for a quick rub down.

 _Just don't look at her and it'll be fine. She's already acted odd today._

"Fine," he scowled, looking away. "Gonna call your spirit back out to help you change?"

"Uh, Virgo? No, I don't know if that's a good idea-"

"Then lion boy then?"

She sighed. " _Loke._ And no, Loke's a little too handsy or my taste. There are some things I can't ask him to help with."

Sting grunted. "Then turn and I'll burn them off you."

The silence in the room was deafening. Maybe he'd crossed the line, especially with her weird behavior whenever they were all that close in bed. She hadn't even appreciated his crass humor earlier.

"Are you gonna shower?" she asked instead, keeping her eyes down on the clothing. She scooped them up, and he realized there appeared to be shorts and something impressively lacy underneath the top. Well, shorts were a step up from the skirts. She'd be able to move around better with them.

He scoffed. "Yeah, might as well. It should be so fucking fun to try and figure this out since you somehow want to shower separetly."

Her head whipped up, and he was surprised by the anger in her eyes. Kicking off her shoes she turned away, practically dragging him to the bathroom.

Well, this was somewhat better than her acting embarrassed.

She dropped the clothing on the floor the moment they were inside, barely letting Sting sit down. He worked on pulling off his shoes rather unsuccessfully with one hand, partially keeping his eyes on the blonde.

That skirt really was short. Adverting his gaze again, he tried focusing on anything else in the room. Getting the shoes off worked eventually as she turned the water on, and he decided he'd just heat his body up to melt the clothing of later instead of bothering with it now. She was already twitchy about everything.

"Well… go ahead," she said, her voice a lot smaller than he'd expected. "But don't look."

Sting frowned, wondering what was up with her. Usually the blonde was upbeat and confident, nothing like the shaking ball of nerve in front of him. He could practically smell the fear rolling off of her. "Lucy-"

"Just do it," she grumbled, her hands tightening. "I'd like to get clean before trying to sleep."

He didn't believe her, not really understanding her weird attitude. She'd had too many mood wings for his liking, but he couldn't find it in him to push her right now. She was super tense, and he figured if he tried anything else she'd either explode or crumble, and he didn't want to deal with either.

"Alright," he replied, lighting his left hand. "It'll be warm. Let me know if it's too hot."

She flinched when he touched her shoulder, her muscles tensing as he created enough heat to singe off the clothing, immediately pulling his eyes away. He'd seen all the burning handprints she'd left on people. He did not want to join them.

Lucy gasped when the top fell away, and he had to use a lot of self-control to avoid looking at her. He cleared his throat, finding it a lot drier in the room than before. "Do you want me to do your skirt too?"

"No! No, I'll do it," she replied, her voice barely above a squeak. He slammed his eyes shut when he felt her bend over, wondering what kind of bizarre hell he'd gotten himself into.

 _Just don't look down. For fuck's sake wait until she gets in the shower._

She moved pretty quick, giving Sting more relief than he expected. She even seemed to think things through, getting in on the same side as the water so the bracelet wouldn't obscure the curtain. When he heard the curtain slide shut again he opened his eyes, glaring at the shower.

He must be suffering from a headache or something since his announcement in the guild hall. There was no way he was thinking clearly if he thought this was a good idea. Hell, they hadn't even thought to find her some girly body soap before she got in the shower (maybe a good thing) so she'd end up using his since the bathroom is private (extremely bad for his self-control).

This would probably end badly, really badly, and he couldn't imagine what it would do to his psyche if he saw her all glistening and wet –

Sting banged his head back into the wall, wondering if she heard that. It didn't matter really, just if he could clear the fog in his head before she got out.

Hell, this was an awful idea.

* * *

Lucy slid down onto Sting's bed ignoring how weird it felt. Then again, it wasn't as bizarre as showering with Sting outside the curtain, and then switching positions.

Drying off was even weirder. At least the light Sting's magic created was bright and warm. He dried her off pretty quickly, which saved them from staring at one another while trying to accomplish it with a towel, but was still really awkward since he had to touch her skin to accomplish it.

She shuddered, hoping he didn't notice how tense she was. Unfortunately she thought he had, since his yes held plenty of questions and he kept shooting her weird looks.

At least he hadn't asked again. Maybe he noticed she didn't appreciate it so much earlier.

Besides, he had the same dragon slayer abilities as Natsu, who almost always knew when something was wrong. He had to have picked up on it by now.

"Relax Heartfilia," he muttered, severing her train of thought. "I'm pretty sure if I could read minds you'd be thinking pretty damn loud."

"I'm not thinking all that much."

He scoffed. "As if. I can practically hear the gears in your head turning. Would you try to relax and go to sleep?"

Lucy pursed her lips, wondering if it was that obvious that she was troubled. "I'm trying. It's just different being here."

"I'm not really sure that's the problem," Sting grumbled. "You don't seem so bothered by it now that we're here."

Lucy nodded, thinking of Minerva. She could bring her up and see what Sting was thinking appointing her as the temporary master, but she didn't think he'd listen. At some point he made is mind up about this, and she was beginning to wonder if this was a pre-determined plan even before the bracelet. It was late, and she didn't want to argue again.

"It's just been a long day," she lied, forcing a smile in the dark. "And the days will continue being long until the mission is complete. I guess I better get used to it."

"Yeah, it won't go away anytime soon."

This time she did smile, appreciating that Sting didn't bother trying to sugar-coat things. Closing her eyes, she hoped sleep didn't elude her. "Goodnight Sting."

He was quiet for a moment before responding. "Night Lucy."

 **A/n: This is kind of a filler chapter and some character development between our two main characters. Next chapter we will get onto the mission and all the drama that will ensue. Thanks for reading and until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

Lucy was surprised how well the sendoff went two days later. After spending a lot of time uncomfortably wandering around with Sting while he set up things for his departure, she'd learned all the reasons she would never want to be a guild master. She loved taking jobs and going on missions, but the amount of work that he had to put in before they could even leave was overkill.

At least she hadn't had to talk to Minerva much. As much as Sting tried convincing her that she wasn't a bad person, Lucy just couldn't wrap her head around the idea. This was the same person who tried killing her not that long ago. She had a forgive and forget sort of attitude, but Minerva was another story.

She couldn't say she was disappointed that the mage was staying behind. Yukino was much better company, and without Rogue she wasn't sure Sting would even be manageable.

He'd already blown a bunch of stuff up in the guild before their departure. His similarities to Natsu were uncanny, even if the pair did butt heads half the time. She couldn't imagine the long journey north would be any easier.

"It'll be so much fun seeing everyone in Fairy Tail again," Yukino said, severing her train of thought. Frosch was balanced on her head, the poor thing almost falling off for the third time.

"They'll be happy to see you too," Lucy agreed, dragging Sting along with her. He'd been having a conversation with Rogue but she had no problem interrupting, having been stuck walking with them for hours. She couldn't handle any more of their discussions. Besides, her lacrima conversation with her friends last night helped to lift her mood. "Erza said she and Wendy already packed some clothes for me, so we shouldn't be delayed too long there. They already set a team up to come too."

"Isn't it just your normal team?" Sting grumbled, earning a glare. "I thought the idea was to keep the group small so we don't draw attention."

"We need enough people to stand a chance against Berchinni and his entire estate," Lucy argued. "Besides, my team is known for getting the job done."

"I thought your team was known for blowing up towns," Rogue interjected, causing Sting to laugh. "Natsu has a reputation, let alone the entire team together."

"Well Wendy and I try to keep from blowing things up," Lucy defended, rubbing her head as an embarrassed sweat began taking over her forehead. "It's just a bit difficult sometimes controlling the others."

"I'll say," Sting muttered, Lector nodding on his shoulder. "We'll be lucky if they don't see us coming from miles away."

"We can be discreet!" Lucy screamed, causing the guild master to jump back a hair. "Why couldn't we be?"

"That!" Sting cried, jabbing a finger at her. "That is why you can't be discreet!"

Lucy huffed, crossing her arms despite Sting's protests. "We can be discreet. You'll see."

* * *

Yukino blushed, looking at the three dragon slayers before them. "This is not discreet."

"If we didn't have the three idiots with us we'd be discreet," Gray grumbled, rubbing his head. "Is it going to be like this the whole way? I thought Natsu was bad."

"We'd be fine man if we weren't taking this train," Natsu gasped, his head half on half off the seat. "Why did we have to do this again?"

"Heading north is an extremely long journey," Erza said, nodding her head like this was logical. "We can cut down on a few days of travel through the hills by taking this train overnight."

"I would've rather walked," Sting grumbled, his head falling down off Lucy's shoulder onto her lap. She blushed, immediately waving her arms as she debated between patting his head and shoving him off. "Th-this is torture."

"At least you don't suffer, huh Wendy?" Yukino said, laughing as Rogue swallowed hard, trying in vain to keep his composure. He had yet to turn into a pathetic pile of mush like Natsu and Sting, but he looked close to sinking down to the floor as well.

Lucy's eyes danced over the train car, glad they had gotten a large one in the back instead of embarrassing themselves with the other passengers. One slayer was a lot to handle, but three was too much. They were turning pretty green, and she feared she'd get sick too if Sting had to suddenly run towards one of the windows. It was bad enough having him groan into her shoulder, but now she was afraid for her legs.

Besides, Natsu seemed to be trying to glare at Sting despite his sickness. Usually he used her lap during these awful rides, but Sting couldn't exactly leave her side. She didn't expect him to put his head in her lap, but she could almost feel the smirk on his face despite the motion sickness.

He was enjoying rubbing this in Natsu's face. What a jerk.

She nearly bit her lip, deciding she couldn't call him a jerk completely. He might make some crass comments, but he kept to himself when they showered or went to sleep. So he wasn't a complete jerk, just one when it came to Natsu.

Maybe she should be more surprised.

"Levy said she'll contact us if she can find out anything else on Berchinni," Wendy continued, clasping her hands in her lap. "She was looking pretty hard when we left."

"With Levy and Rufus on the case we should know everything we can about the company in no time," Erza agreed. "We even asked Freed to help out, and those three together are almost unstoppable."

"I hope so," Lucy sighed, absentmindedly patting Sting's head. He stiffened at the movement, and she immediately noticed that everyone in the car seemed to freeze. Even Natsu managed to lift his head and stare at them, and Happy actually let his jaw drop.

Lucy pulled her left hand away, eyes widening at her own actions. "Uh…"

"She _likes_ him!" Happy cried, wings opening up as he sang. "Lucy likes him!"

"Shut up cat!" she yelled, jumping up. Sting let out a pathetic cry as he fell off her lap, slamming into the ground with a graceless thud. She gasped, falling down onto her knees beside him and very nearly slamming her kneecap into his head.

"Why would you do that to me?" he asked, eyes rolling as he lay sprawled on the ground. She smiled sheepishly, a blush rising up.

"Ha-ha, you deserved that one," Natsu laughed, his face immediately turning greener. "Oh god, I can't laugh on these things!"

"You can't almost knee a great guild master like Sting!" Lector cried, jumping up as well. "How could you almost take out his face?"

"I didn't!"

"She's trying to kill me," Sting groaned, eyes still rolling as he forced himself to roll onto his stomach, causing Lucy to scowl as he pulled her along. She ended up sitting on the floor, glaring at him. "At least I can… protect my face now."

"What an idiot," she grumbled, glaring at him. "I don't feel so bad that you fell off the bench now."

"Sting often falls off benches in trains," Frosch agreed, throwing up his hands. Lector immediately paled, turning to his friend.

"You can't just tell people that!"

From her place on Wendy's lap, Carla shook her head. "Honestly, Gray is right. Is the whole trip going to be like this?"

"You all wanted to come," Rogue said, sinking further in his seat. Yukino suppressed a chuckle, patting her friends shoulder. "Be… be prepared. This is only day one."

Lucy groaned, face-palming with her left hand. "What did we sign ourselves up for?"

* * *

"Okay, it isn't so chaotic now that we're walking," Gray said, placing his hands behind his head.

"No more trains," Natsu replied weakly, still holding his stomach. "I can't take that again."

"But you fools didn't experience the horror of sleeping in the same car as you," Carla remarked, noting Wendy's shiver from her words. "We were all terrified multiple dragon slayers were going to get sick the whole night."

"It couldn't be worse for you," Sting grumbled, ignoring Lucy's cheeky grin. She was finding this annoyingly amusing. "You weren't afraid of dying the whole time."

"Actually the one time you went to the window to hurl I was kind of afraid you were going to throw me out the window," she remarked, smirking at his sour expression. "You did move pretty quick."

"You don't even understand motion sickness."

"At least I can't be bested by a wheel," she argued, grinning wider when he had to stop glaring to take a deep breath. By his feet Lector hopped around, cheering him along.

He'd been doing lots of cheering, even arguing with Happy through the night about whose slayer could puke better. _That_ was something no one wanted to experience.

"We should be able to head north to the next town from here," Rogue remarked, staring at the map Yukino had. He recovered a lot faster than Sting and Natsu did from the train experience. "It should only be a day's walk from there. By then someone will hopefully have more information on Berchinni."

"After that it'll be a couple days to anymore towns," Erza continued, tapping her chin. "We'll need to stock up on supplies there. The weather is nice here, but in a week or two we'll be hitting northern towns and the winter weather will be setting in. We don't want to be caught in any storms."

"This is why trains are convenient," Gray grumbled, crossing his arms.

"You better stop stripping Gray," Happy said, laughing. "You won't have any pants for the snow!"

"Aw man!" he cried, immediately turning to look for his bottoms. He'd already discarded his shirt twice, and Lucy assumed it was probably lost with his pants.

"The further north we go the more we'll see Berchinni's influence," Lucy said, brushing back her hair. "The one time I visited his estate, I noticed the entire town had a lot of products from his company. Like I said, he runs the north. We'll have to be more discreet the further we go, Sting. If he made these bracelets then he probably has sellers who will notice the jewelry and alert him that people are wearing them. I seriously doubt there are many people up there sporting this look."

"Okay blondie," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "This thick metal band is super easy to hide. I can't wait to see how we cover that."

"We have a few weeks before we have to worry about it," she sighed, shaking her head. "I don't really have any ideas either, but it's something we gotta be aware of."

"Agreed," Erza nodded, crossing her arms. "For right now it's too late in the afternoon to continue traveling without having to go through the night. We don't need to be doing that just yet, and we may as well make it easier to travel in the morning. We'll be able to get a proper night's rest after last night."

"You mean a real bed without a bunch of slayers trying not to be sick?" Gray asked, eyes lighting up. "Count me in!"

"Long as I don't have to share a room with you," Natsu grumbled, crossing his arms.

"We should explore the town," Lucy continued, already dragging Sting away. She saw a newsstand, and already had her day planned out. "We can meet for dinner. Come on Sting!"

"Do I get a choice here?" he asked, reluctantly following her along.

"I'll come with you Luce!" Natsu cried, joining in the group. Restless night or not, the quicker they recovered the sooner she could start looking and she wasn't in the mood to wait around.

"Sure," she said, finally stopping beside the stand. The man there gave her an odd look as she dragged Sting's arm up with her, and Natsu followed along to lean on her other side. "I just want to see if anything is trending on him right now."

"You mean you want to stop at every newsstand we pass on the way?" Sting asked, sounding more than a little appalled by the idea.

"It's one of the best ways to see what we can learn about Berchinni," she said, depositing some money to the newsman. Natsu tried reading over her shoulder as she turned away from the stand. "Researching is a big deal, and whatever we can keep tabs on ourselves without having to wait for the others to contact us is beneficial."

"So you do want to stop at every newsstand," Sting groaned, hanging his head. "What has my life been reduced to?"

"She makes me go to a lot of newsstands too in the past," Natsu agreed, tapping his chin. "Come to think of it, anything to do with reading and she usually stops there."

Lucy scowled, spinning on her partner. "Not everything to do with reading! Half the time you won't even go into the libraries with me."

Natsu started laughing, pointing at Sting over Lucy's shoulder as his eyes widened with glee. "Oh man, I almost feel bad for you. You're going to go into every bookstore in Fiore."

Sting blanched, and Lucy didn't miss the stricken expression. "Blondie, I'm telling you now I'm not going into every bookstore."

"Hey now-"

"Lucy?"

The girl froze, causing Sting to frown. He glanced past her to a tall brunette haired man approaching them, his eyes wide with delight. Beside them Natsu stiffened, and Sting could feel the sudden charge in the air.

Okay, he had to be missing something here.

He expected Lucy's bouncy attitude to come back, but she nearly shrank back into him when the man ran up and like he wanted to hug her. Usually she kicked people, something he was he was becoming painfully familiar with, but he was pretty sure if they weren't stuck together right now she would've already taken off running.

"Lucy my love!" the man cried, stopping in front of the trio. Sting tilted his head as she took another step or two back, and Natsu suddenly shoved himself between them.

"Dan," he said curtly, his hands flaming to life. Sting felt his eyebrows rising, surprised by the hotheads sudden anger. Sure, he'd been having some sort of annoying war with Natsu since he got stuck to his partner, but nothing like this. "You know you're not supposed to get near her."

Lucy, despite being the center of attention, seemed to be trying to hide herself behind the nearest building. Unfortunately she wouldn't be able to reach with their arms stuck like this, and he couldn't miss the way she was starting to shake. The feeling vibrated through their connected hands, Sting's eyes sliding over to her. All the color in her face had disappeared.

This was new.

"My love," Dan continued, drawing everyone's attention again, "don't let him stand in our way! I know you didn't mean what you said last time!"

"I-I meant everything," Lucy snapped, the tremor in her voice a little unnerving. She usually didn't stutter, even when she was nervous. "Leave me alone Dan."

The weird expression on his face didn't slip, the lovesick expression causing even Sting to feel uncomfortable, and he had no idea what was going on. "Come now Lu-Lu, you're just confused."

"She's not confused!" Natsu seethed, the fire in his hands sliding up his arms. "Don't take another step near her!"

Lucy pulled back as far as the bracelet would let her go, extending Sting's arm out. He watched her expression, debating if he should move so she could put more distance between them. Whatever was going on, it had her eyes practically bulging out of her head.

The taunt pull of their arms drew attention to the band, and he heard the angry intake of breath before he saw the breaking expression on Dan's face. The joy in his expressoin slipped a hair, replaced by something far less present. "What is that Lu? You haven't promised to another, have you!? How can you try our love?"

"Love?" Sting asked, finally breaking his silence. Looking between the three he could see the conflicting emotions, and the look on her face that threatened to dissolve into tears at any given moment.

And he thought the rest of the day would be peaceful.

"Sting," Natsu seethed, addressing the blond man for the first time, "take Lucy and go."

"Uh…" he started, looking at the girl. She didn't look like she was going to respond, stuck somewhere between terror and crying.

"Just go!"

Sting snapped out of it, snatching the clenched paper out of her hands before grabbing her right shoulder with his left hand, pushing her away. It seemed to snap her out of it, and she followed his guiding hand before spinning herself and practically bolting off.

"Lu-"

"Shut up!" Natsu screamed, and Sting tried to watch the exchange as they rounded a corner. He'd much rather stay and watch the fight, but he was afraid she'd start bawling right then and there.

He didn't take his hand off her shoulder, even when she started shaking as they traveled down another street. He didn't wait long before turning them again, distantly listening to the sounds of a fight.

She didn't say anything. He half wondered if she would be able to.

"Sit down," he said when he figured they were far enough away. She was still shaking, and nearly collapsed onto the bench. Her hands flew up to her face, immediately crying as the sobs raked her body. Sting frowned, sitting down beside her.

"Breathe blondie," he said, sitting down beside her. "I'm sure Natsu will take care of whoever that was quickly."

He wished he'd gotten in on the fight, desperate to relieve some of the aggravation building up, but he figured if she reacted that badly with the guy still out of arms reach she wouldn't appreciate getting closer.

"Y-yeah, Natsu's good at beating him up," she said, her voice cracking.

"And… who is Dan exactly?"

She shook her head, and he resisted the urge to sigh. He figured she probably wouldn't tell him anyway right now, but he had to try. It wasn't usual to see a wizard fall into crippling fear and be unable to fight.

"So uh… does Natsu usually have to fight this guy?"

She laughed, and he was kind of surprised she could even make that sound. "No. No… he's not really supposed to see me anymore."

"And I'm guessing I can't ask why."

She bit her lip, shaking her head. She kept glancing around like he was going to show up on the street suddenly. Sting figured that was impossible if he was fighting Natsu, and he'd be able to smell the guy coming anyway long before she'd need to worry.

"I'm sure Natsu can take him out just fine," he continued, trying to calm her jumpy nerves. Seriously, she was about to leap out of her skin. "I don't think there are many people alive who can beat him."

"He can't," she agreed, wiping her eyes. "I… I didn't want to run into him."

"Yeah, obviously."

She nodded a couple times, taking deep breaths until she finally stopped shaking. When she was able to unclench her hands again she met his gaze, giving him a soft smile. "Thanks."

"Uh, I think Natsu did more here than I did."

"Natsu knows," she said, wrapping her arms around herself. Sting clenched his fist when she flinched as his fingers brushed hers, noting that she was suppressing the fear more than dealing with it. "Maybe I should call Virgo. He might kill Dan."

"Mm, not enough destruction for that," Sting noted, looking around. "Nothing's collapsed so far, and I haven't heard a lot of screaming. I don't think he's to the killing level yet."

"That's true," she continued, standing up. Sting followed along, cautious that she might start sobbing again and he wasn't mentally prepared for that. "I can't wait to get out of this city."

"Well, we're only here a night, you should be fine," he agreed, tugging her in the direction of the hotel they called ahead for. "Besides, it's not like you can be in a situation where he could somehow find you alone anyway while we're here. Literally."

"I'm sure that'll just annoy him," Lucy replied, but her tone was lighter this time. "I guess being stuck to you does have its advantages."

Sting feigned annoyance, exaggerating rolling his eyes. At least she wasn't freaking out anymore. He'd much rather deal with her like this. "Do I hear that you're using me as a human shield now?"

"I saw you put Dobengal through a wall without even trying," she agreed, shrugging one shoulder. "I have faith you could probably hit Dan into the ground."

"Well, you didn't even give me a chance to."

Lucy sobered a little, clenching her hands again. "I'm hoping there won't be another reason to. I never want to see him again."

* * *

After another colorful meal, Lucy found herself in a room with Sting again. After the events of the afternoon she wanted nothing more than to pass out on the bed and avoid any uncomfortable discussions, but luck just wasn't on her side. She knew it was coming, she just hoped to avoid it.

Natsu kept his mouth shut during dinner that night, something she was eternally grateful for. She didn't need Erza threatening to stab Dan over and again with her vast array of swords, and the last time Gray heard about Dan he threatened to permanently freeze a particular part of his anatomy.

She didn't even like to think about all the things sweet Wendy wanted to do.

Still, she figured if she managed to escape to sleep without talking to Natsu she was in another universe. Sting was curious earlier, but her reactions were enough to quell his interest for the time being.

But Natsu, Natsu was another story entirely.

"Luce, you know I'm going to keep banging on the door until you talk to me!" he called, his voice echoing through the room. He'd only been at it for a minute or two, but she could already see the veins bulging in Sting's head.

She imagined the rest of their floor wouldn't be too happy with them either if he kept this up much longer.

"Okay, I'm getting the door," Sting snapped, dragging her off the bed. She tried digging her heels into the carpet but he wasn't having it, successfully getting her across the room to throw open the door. "Dear god you're loud."

"I have to get my point across," Natsu pointed out, slipping into the room. He cast Lucy a look as he entered, and she dropped her gaze. "I have to talk to you anyway."

"Natsu, you don't need to-" she began.

"Oh no, I do," he argued, fixing Sting with an intense glare. His eyebrows shot up, taking in the serious expression on Natsu's face. "I want to make sure you know to keep an eye out for Dan Straight. He shouldn't be anywhere near Luce."

"Natsu!"

"Seriously, his last name is Straight?" Sting asked, shaking his head. "That's tragic."

Natsu's expression darkened, crossing his arms. Lucy could feel the energy in the air changing. When she first got stuck to Sting Natsu tried being protective, but this was on a whole other level. "This is serious Sting. He's not allowed near Luce because he hurt her, bad. He should consider himself lucky I let him live."

"Natsu," she warned, taking a step closer. "You promised."

"No, I didn't promise anything. You're safety matters too much to me. If he's literally connected to you all hours of the day then you're probably completely safe, but he should know anyway. What if he found you again?"

Lucy flinched, glancing at her arm-mate. He was staring at her intently, probably trying to put the pieces together between the encounter earlier and now. "H-he won't-"

"No, he probably won't," Natsu agreed, his eyebrows drawing together. "We're leaving tomorrow, and I doubt he's going to feel up to following us. But I want Sting to know to not let him near you. What if something happened? I can't live with myself if he hurt you again Luce."

She stiffened, clasping her hands together. Of course Natsu felt guilty after last time, but she didn't like seeing him beat himself up like this. Really, she was trying to put the whole experience behind her as much as she could.

Sting cleared his throat beside her, apparently tired of being ignored. "Okay, if I'm supposed to know about this to help, then can I ask how this jerk hurt you?"

Natsu shook his head, holding up his hands. "That's up to you, Luce. He just needs to know to be on the lookout. You did tell Loke so your spirits know too, right?"

Sheepishly she looked down, and Sting sold her out. "She hasn't called anyone out today."

"Please do, Luce. Your spirits would want to know, and you know it too. I just want to make sure you stay safe this time."

"He won't hurt me again," she snapped, lifting her chin. "I would never let him."

Natsu smiled gently, and the expression nearly broke her heart. He remembered what happened last time, and she knew he still blamed himself for the incident. "I believe you, I just have to make sure you're alright. Tell Loke."

"Okay… I will, in the morning. I want to sleep."

He nodded, seeming to give up. His eyes shifted past his partner to the Sabertooth guild master, reading the confused expression there. "If doesn't matter if you know how he hurt her or not. That's Lucy's story to tell, not mine. You just need to know he should never be allowed near her again. If I had it my way he'd already be gone for good, but she won't let me kill him. So if you ever see him coming towards her again, take him down."

Sting smirked. "Well, it's not like I ever need a reason to fight anyway."

Natsu seemed satisfied with that answer. He glanced towards Lucy one more time before sighing, turning with a wave as he headed back towards the door. "I didn't tell anyone else either, like you asked me to once before. So don't worry about them freaking out, I won't mention it as long as he doesn't show up again. Just be careful, Luce."

She didn't relax when he left, and the fact that he didn't try to hug her told her how torn up he was about this. When the door banged shut again she took a shuddering breath, leaning back into the wall for support. Sting remained quiet for many moments, his eyes watching her carefully.

"So, I'm guessing you still won't tell me why this guy deserves to get beat so bad?"

Lucy bit her lip, shaking her head one more time. He groaned, tugging on her wrist. She followed his eyes, noting that he wanted to go to the bed. Together they moved and sat on the end, Sting's eyes studying the wall in front of him intently.

After a moment he spoke again, flexing the fingers on either hand. "So tell me something – and no, you don't have to tell me all the details of what happened. If I ever have to fight this guy, is he someone I should be using basic strength on, or does he deserve Dragon Slayer Secret Art level shit?"

She smiled a little at his attempt for humor, wetting her lips twice before speaking. "Um… if you ask the others, probably the secret art level."

Sting stiffened beside her, and she knew her words had a cutting effect on him. Powerful attacks like that were nothing to be taken lightly. "Alright blondie, but you better pray he never has to fight me."

"Why's that?"

"Because I didn't make any promises to you about going easy," he replied, glaring at her from the corners of his eyes. "And I may not know what happened, but Natsu would never ask me to protect his partner if he didn't consider this fucker to be a truly dangerous force. So if I ever have to fight him, he'd better be ready because I will bury him in the dirt and leave him to die."

Lucy's eyes widened, staring at the man attached to her. He really didn't have to do anything if he didn't want to. This was only his problem because they couldn't be separated. Still, despite the gravity of his words it was comforting to hear that Sting took Natsu's plea so seriously.

She felt a little better now, even if she was in the same city as Dan Straight. At least she knew, without a doubt in her mind, Sting would stay true to his words.

She just hoped there would never be a reason to follow through on them.

 **A/n:** Little bit of a darker chapter, but lot's of plot development and clues. See you guys next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Sting couldn't be happier that travel the next day was easy. He knew Lucy didn't sleep, and because he could smell the fear on her all night long he didn't sleep either. He wouldn't oppose getting to fight someone between towns, specifically whoever the hell Dan Straight was, but the walk was smooth sailing.

Seriously, even the weather was nice.

By the time they made it to the next town everyone was ready to get supplies and relax. It would be a long journey from here, and this was their last chance for some fun in the city. Everyone spread out to do whatever they wanted, and he was more than ready for a drink. Who knew when he'd get another chance to find a bar.

And he'd be damned if Lucy kept him from it. She didn't have anything particular in mind, and she'd already dragged him to three newsstands that morning alone. He earned this.

Walking around with Lucy was an experience in itself. He was used to getting looks from the ladies, but he wasn't so fond of all the creeps who kept checking her out. After watching her panic with Dan the day before, he figured there was probably a good reason why she got so bothered every time he made fun of her miniskirts.

Speaking of, she was wearing one today. It was the first time she'd worn a skirt since Virgo brought her shorts, and he was pretty surprised by the action. It was still pretty skimpy, and he was doing his best to not notice the large amount of leg she was showing.

He got to see enough of her as it was. This was almost torture. She was still wearing the same shirt from the one time they had showered, probably uneasy about being so bare in front of him again.

As Sting finally found a bar he was pleased with, he couldn't help but groan when he noticed one of the guys outside checking her out. He really didn't need to listen to someone trying to pick her up, and it wouldn't do any good anyway. He wasn't going anywhere.

Besides, he figured being hit on right now would freak her out more than anything. She'd been extra jumpy since her encounter.

"Maybe you should get a drink," he joked, falling down into a booth towards the back of the bar. Anything would be good to loosen her up right now. "Maybe you'll finally call out Loke like you said you would. Weren't you supposed to do that yesterday?"

Conversation was good. At least it would distract him from how annoyed he was.

"It's more complicated than that," she snapped, blushing as she sat down beside him. Stretching their arms all the way across the booth would be more of a problem than it was worth. He didn't really get why it would bother her until he looked around and realized they looked like a couple sitting in the booth together.

Well, it couldn't exactly be helped.

"How complicated can it be?" he grumbled, waving over a waitress. "You just call him out, tell him you ran into your... stalker-"

"He's not a stalker," she snapped, fingers gripping the table too tightly. He'd tried a couple times so far to get Lucy to at least tell him who Dan was, but so far no luck.

"Um your ex-"

"Quit guessing," she sighed, dropping her head to the table. "You did this all morning."

"I'm just trying to understand," he remarked, smirking when the waitress arrived. He ordered a double of whatever their strongest liquor was and turned expectantly to Lucy. "Well?"

"I'm not drinking."

"You need a drink," he argued, reaching towards the menu, "it's the only way you're going to get enough courage to talk to your spirits."

She scowled, glancing between the confused waitress and Sting again. "I can do it without the drink."

"Fine, do it. Natsu will quit bugging me once you do."

Lucy hesitated, looking down at the keys on get hip. After several seconds, just before the waitress turned away, she snatched the menu and did a quick scan, pointing to one at the bottom. "That one."

Sting grinned as she walked away, leaning back into the seat. "Great. Now you can call out Loke."

"Not yet," she sighed, sagging intro the seat. "I need a minute."

Sting rolled his eyes. "Or chug the drink when it gets here and then call him out."

"It's a tea!" she snapped. "You aren't supposed to chug it."

"It'd probably help."

She spun on him, holding up a finger to argue when the lacrima in her pocket suddenly went off, successfully ending the conversation. She fumbled around a moment to reach the device on her hip, partially shoving Sting away in order to grab it, before successfully flipping the gadget open.

"Levy!" she cried, causing Sting to flinch at the sound. Just then their drinks arrived, and he decided it was some sort of saving grace that this happened just as he finally got what he wanted. "Are you calling with good news?"

"You know I wouldn't be calling if I didn't have something," the brunette replied, winking. "Hi Sting."

He grunted in response, ignoring the way bluenette grumbled under her breath as he took a drink. After two gulps he set it aside, focusing his attention on her again when he spoke. "So did you find a way to get the bracelets off that doesn't involve going north?"

"Well, if you're okay getting your hand cut off I can probably help." Levy paused, leaning closer to the screen. "Where's everyone else?"

"We split up to relax a little before dinner," Lucy chimed in, smiling. Sting thought it looked a little strained, her mind probably somewhere else. "We won't be in another town again for close to a week. We may as well make the most of it. Besides, once we leave it's going to start cooling down. I'll have to start wearing some of the pants Virgo helped me pack."

Levy smirked, glancing at Sting. "You're actually going to wear a full shirt then?"

"Hey, you can ask blondie here the same question."

Levy's eyes flashed, immediately glancing at Lucy, who looked somewhere between angry and upset. Her other hand clenched the fabric of her skirt, and Sting wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not that she'd put on another micro mini today. It was probably a little soon to make jabs at her.

Turning to glare at him, Lucy snatched up her drink, taking several large gulps before slamming the glass back down on the table, her spiked tea mostly empty. "Shut up Sting."

"Are you guys at a bar?" Levy asked, surprised. She studied Lucy, seeming a little concerned that she'd just slammed most of her drink. "Is that part of the plan for today? Luce, is that a Fiore Ice Tea?"

"No one said we couldn't go to the bar," Sting argued, grabbing his drink again. He didn't correct the bookworm, well aware of what his arm-mate ordered. Who was he to say what she couldn't drink? "Do you have something important or not?"

Signing, Levy immediately swiveled her eyes away from him. " _Lucy_ , I did some research at other towns throughout Fiore. There are reports of at least twenty other wizard pairs who have gotten stuck together." She paused briefly, looking between them. "Eighteen are still alive. Nineteen if we count you guys."

The pair leaned forward together, eyebrows shooting up. "What happened to the other two?" Lucy asked, still holding onto her glass.

"Well, one pair got themselves killed," Levy admitted, rubbing her head awkwardly. "I know you guys said your connected arms aren't generating magic, and that seems to be the case with everyone else too. These guys were way on the other side of Fiore so I just located the article. They used elemental magic and figured if they attacked it together they could overcharge it with magic and break it."

Sting ignored the look Lucy shot his way. He'd had a similar idea at first.

"Obviously that didn't work," Levy continued. "The bracelet shot the magic back through their system and killed them."

"I thought they were supposed to suppress magic," Lucy cried, her voice a little higher than before. She clenched the glass before taking another gulp. "Not kill us."

"I don't know why it happened," Levy admitted, flipping through some papers. "It doesn't make a lot of sense. But you've got to be careful when you use magic. We don't want the same thing to happen to you guys."

"What happened to the other pair?" Sting asked curiously, studying the blonde next to him. She sure was downing that thing fast for somebody who didn't want to drink.

"That's a little harder to explain," Levy replied. "It makes even less sense. I just heard it from Lamia Scale this morning. Its... well, these guys didn't put any magic into destroyed the bracelet as far as we know. They weren't even connected long, less than a day. It's like... it's like the bracelet was overcharged or something. It literally shocked one of the wearers to death. They... they cut them apart after that, but the guy that lived is still wearing the bracelet."

The pair froze, an uneasy glance passing between them. "My attacks are close to electric," Sting reasoned, rubbing his head. Technically his attacks were more light than electric, but it was still closer to _shocking_ than Lucy's magic. "Maybe I could counteract it or something."

"Maybe, but we don't know how well that could work," Levy argued. "I wish I had more, but this all just came in. I wanted to make sure you both knew to be extra careful."

"Definitely," Lucy agreed, sounding only slightly concerned. "We will be. We have been."

"Sorry I couldn't call with something better Lu," she continued, waving. "I'll let you know when I know more."

The screen darkened, leaving them alone with their thoughts. Sting cursed, slamming down the rest of his drink. The glass clinked on the table, and he looked over to see Lucy thoughtfully stirring around the remainder of hers.

"We're fucked."

"Maybe," she agreed, pushing the glass away. "We're just gonna have to be careful."

"How are we supposed to be careful when we don't know what sets these fucking things off?" he snapped, lifting their connected wrists up and wiggling them around. "Now we're just nervous for no god damn reason."

"That's not true-"

"These things could spontaneously decide to kill us at any moment and you don't call that being fucked?" he argued, shaking his head. "We can't even prevent that blondie. We just have to hope ours don't malfunction. I'm guessing you won't look so great barbequed."

Lucy scowled. "Well there's nothing we can do about it so why try to avoid it? This was a possibility even without Levy telling us. We may as well just continue on as we were going to. We still have to get to Berchinni's and hope there's some way to get them off."

Sting huffed, looking for the waitress. He definitely needed another drink. "Like I said blondie, fucked."

* * *

Other than the potential impending doom, Lucy felt like she was having an okay time. One more ice tea and she felt real good, bobbing her head along to the music the bar was playing.

Sting's grumbling didn't even annoy her.

"If you drink that one you're gonna end up trashed," he remarked, watching the waitress set down a third drink. She'd definitely gotten happier when the liquor kicked in.

"You've had like… three shots," she argued, grabbing for the glass. Lucy knew the drinks were strong, that was part of the reason she ordered them. He seemed to think she needed liquor to relax, and maybe he was right.

At least she didn't feel so stressed out about Dan anymore. He was gone now, and even if he followed, he wouldn't be able to find her alone. That was almost a comforting thought.

"Three shots isn't that much," Sting replied, laughing. She figured it was probably due to her buzz, but his laugh sounded really nice right now. "And you miscounted. I've had four, plus my drink in the beginning. It wasn't really a double."

Lucy nodded, taking a sip of the fresh tea. Her keys rested on the table beside her, and she'd seen Loke's key softly glowing for several minutes now. He knew something was up, but he seemed to be taking his time coming out. Maybe he'd even wait for her to call.

She snorted, immediately covering her mouth to no avail. The laugh still slipped out, earning her Sting's attention. "What's so funny?"

"No-nothing. I'm just thinking about how Loke's being super cool and not popping out."

"Um… okay."

"He's gonna judge me anyway," she continued, slurping up more of the drink. "I know so. He wanted to beat Dan up too if he came around again, but I didn't let him."

"Uh huh," Sting replied, shifting on the seat. The movement jarred her arm, and she nearly knocked over the drink.

"Be careful! My shoulders still sore."

"Right. So, are you going to tell me about Dan now?"

Lucy frowned, staring at him. "Why do you think you need to know? Cause you're stuck with me?"

"Well-"

"Cause Loke knows cause he's stuck to me," she continued, nodding her head along as she spoke. She really wanted to get up and dance to whatever was playing, but Sting didn't look like he was gonna move. "And cause he found me. No… Natsu found me. No… no, Dan found me."

She turned at the end of her babbling, giving the confused master a grin. "Get it?"

"No, I can't say I followed any of that."

Lucy nodded, tilting forward and almost slamming her head into the table. Sting moved pretty quick, managing to keep her from giving herself a giant bump. She didn't thank him, instead staring down at the glass again.

It was empty.

"I don' remember drinkin' that," she gushed, staring at the man. He looked somewhat concerned, pushing the glass away. "I need another."

"No, I think that's enough. We still need to walk to the hotel."

Lucy's eyes flashed at the word hotel, scooting a little closer. Sting, though a giant pain, was extra warm and couldn't hurt her even if he wanted. "Hotel. Dan made me go to a hotel. I hated it. It was so dirty."

Sting's eyes narrowed, and she wondered if she said something wrong. Her head was swimming, and she let her eyes drop closed for a moment.

Dan. She didn't really want to think about him. She _hated_ thinking of him. He was despicable, a stupid lying –

Someone touched her shoulder, causing her eyes to open up again. Sting swam in her vision a little, looking worried. "Lucy?"

"Eh?"

"Oh good. I thought you passed out. I'm not even sure how I'd try carrying you. I'm getting the bill."

"Mhmm," she nodded, dropping her head on the table. It wasn't cool, and the wood even felt a little sticky. Blinking she looked away from Sting and focused down on what she'd put on this morning.

A miniskirt. Why did she do that? Sting… he mentioned once that they were good to travel in.

No, that couldn't be right.

Lifting her head up a hair, she tried to meet his eyes but found it hard to do so. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Did… did you say it's good to travel in miniskirts?"

Sting blinked, or she thought he did, before a hand reached out and gently pushed her head back down to the table. "No. You should rest for a few minutes Lucy."

He waited a few moments when she didn't respond, realizing she'd already passed out. He waved the waitress over again, forking over some jewel without even looking at the amount. "We'll be here a little longer."

"Of course," she replied, placing two glasses of water down on the table with a wink before she turned and sauntered off back to the bar. He watched her go, debating what to do in his head.

What was he supposed to do with Heartfilia? She drank more than he anticipated, and now she was acting weird blabbering on about that Dan fellow. Giving her a few minutes to rest before walking was probably a good idea. He didn't think he'd be able to carry her very well like this.

Glancing down, he stared at the singular key that remained lightly lit. He figured it was probably Loke, who seemed to be able to sense a bunch of stuff while in the celestial world. Curiously, he reached over and touched the key, something Yukino never let him do.

Sting paled when it glowed brighter, watching the spirit gate open despite Lucy being asleep. Half a moment later Loke sat on the other side of the booth, looking exceptionally perturbed.

"That's new," the spirit snapped, immediately reaching out to brush back Lucy's hair. "What happened to her?"

He blinked, trying to figure out what just happened. "Uh… she had too many teas and passed out. Why – how, why are you here? Did you open your gate?"

Loke laughed, leaning back into the booth again, a twinkle in his eye. "Nope. I think you did that."

"I don't see how that's possible," he remarked, only seeming slightly terrified. "I don't have any contracts with any of you. And I don't even know how to open a spirits gate. And I didn't say the thing she says."

"Lucy is powerful," the lion replied, pushing up is glasses. "She doesn't usually need the whole incantation if she needs to summon us urgently. It's more of a habit than anything. Remember what I said last time we spoke, about some sort of connection existing between you two because of those bands? We can sense it in the spirit world. When you touched my key you were able to apply Lucy's magic, and it allowed the gate to open and I came through. No incantation necessary."

Sting stared, still thoroughly confused. "But I didn't even try to use her magic. Levy just told us people are frying themselves trying to pass magic through these fucking things! Why would I be able to apply hers?"

"Don't ask me," he laughed, shaking his head. "It's just a guess. You two are physically connected. Maybe it's due to that. Who knows."

Huffing, Sting leaned back in the booth. He couldn't do a lot of adjusting with his arm pulled across his torso and Lucy snoring quietly at the end. All he really ended up doing was pissing himself off when he couldn't get comfortable.

"Problem?" Loke asked, smirking as the waitress approached. He said something to the girl that Sting chose to ignore, finishing off his own drink before ordering one more too. Might as well.

"So why are you two in a bar alone?" Loke asked, glaring at Sting while the waitress walked off. "Where are the rest of your teams?"

"We're trying to relax and everybody kinda split up until dinner. Tomorrow we set out and it'll be roughly a week until we hit the town after this one."

Loke pressed his lips together, studying the pair. "Why is she drunk?"

Sting scoffed. "Low tolerance. I just thought she should have like one, to take the edge off. Instead she chugged three down after telling me you don't chug tea. She hasn't settled down since yesterday."

"What happened yesterday?" he snapped, his tone suddenly serious.

Glancing at the girl, Sting wondered if he should even say anything. It wasn't exactly his story to tell, but it had to be serious if Natsu nearly lost his fucking mind seeing that guy yesterday. At this rate, he wasn't even sure Lucy would tell her spirits, or if she would push it off until tomorrow.

It was strange. Sting didn't spend a lot of time with her prior to this but from what he knew she was pretty connected to each and every one of them. What did the dumbass do that was so bad she was afraid to tell them?

"Uh, we ran into someone named Dan Straight yesterday. I don't really know what the big deal is but-"

"You ran into Dan?" Loke asked, his tone dropping still. The man was gripping the edge of the table, close to what Lucy had done previously, only Sting was pretty sure he could actually break it. "He saw her?"

"Well yeah. He ran up and practically tried to give her a hug. Natsu got in the way though and I think they got into it. I don't really know, he made me take Lucy away."

"Did he beat him into the fucking ground?"

"I don't know," Sting snapped, annoyed. He'd really love to know what this guy did to piss off everyone. "Ask Natsu. He didn't say much about it when he came back, just that she should let you guys know."

Loke nodded stiffly, his expression softening a little when he focused on her. "No wonder she's drinking."

"So… I'm just going to go out on a limb here and guess you won't fill me in either," Sting grumbled, arching an eyebrow. "I already tried getting Natsu to tell me, and she definitely isn't going to."

"Of course she isn't," he snapped, glaring at the blond. "Why would she want to think about it?"

"About _what_?"

Sighing, Loke pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dan used to be involved with Lucy. Let's just say he didn't cross just one line, but all of them. If she didn't ask us to spare him, he'd be dead."

Sting frowned, glancing back at the sleeping girl. She looked peaceful now, nothing like the on edge mess he'd seen yesterday. "She wouldn't sleep last night. All night I could feel fear coming off her in waves. She wouldn't talk about it, but she always does get nervous when we have to do any sort of changing."

"Keep your hands to yourself," Loke warned.

"I'm not going to do anything!" he fired back, glaring. "I wouldn't dream of it. Is that why she's so scared to be near me at night? Because of that fucker Dan?"

Glancing away, Loke took several deep breaths before speaking again. "I won't go into the details. I can't. She should've called me out when she saw him. He wouldn't be a problem again. God, I knew something was wrong yesterday. I should've forced my way out."

"She probably would've been far away from him anyway by that time," Sting reasoned, shrugging. "Natsu made me take off pretty quick."

"Of course he did. He's not even supposed to see her." Growling, Loke pushed his glasses up again. "I guess at least she's got you. Dan wouldn't dream of trying something with an audience."

Sting narrowed his eyes, flexing his fingers. "If he shows up again she gave me full permission to beat him down. Natsu even asked me to."

"That's a first. He must've really spooked her." With a sigh Loke accepted the drink from their waitress, pushing it away instead of indulging. "I'll help you get her back to the hotel. Hopefully no one else is around to cause a fuss."

"We would be going back fairly early before dinner."

"Good," he grumbled, gently pulling Lucy out of the booth. She woke up as he helped her stand, looking around confused. "Come on princess, you should lie down."

He remained quiet as they paid the remaining bill, helping Loke with Lucy until she stood on her own. He didn't ask any more about Dan, figuring he'd be shot down anyway if he tried.

It really did make him wonder. What did one man do to piss everyone off so bad? Sting caught on to some of the implications, but he wasn't going to assume anything was true unless she justified it herself. At this rate, it was going to be a long time coming.

* * *

"…so hopefully they will have a lock on something when we head out tomorrow," Yukino finished, smirking at Rogue when she did. She'd just finished explaining their conversation with Rufus, missed by Sting because he was out with Lucy. "He's running all the theories he can think of between Levy and Freed and everyone else in the guild, so hopefully that will help."

"So long as nothing else changes," Gray noted, picking at his food. "We've been gone for three days. At this rate half the country will burn down before we reach the north."

Lucy nodded along, specifically ignoring Sting. She knew he'd talked about something with Loke when she passed out, that much was obvious. She just wasn't sure what. And she was kind of afraid to ask.

He'd been acting weird since they got back to the hotel earlier, thankfully missing running into any of their nosy friends. She didn't remember much after that, taking a much-needed nap before dinner.

He very kindly pointed out that she needed to brush her hair when she woke up. Apparently, she had what he called a restless sleep.

"So it's decided then," Erza said, interrupting her thoughts. "We'll head out at nine tomorrow. If we go too early we're going to run into the tradesmen traveling between the towns. The trail should be mostly barren by then. At least we can travel in relative peace."

"And we can cover more ground if we don't have to fight with the crowds," Wendy agreed, smiling. "And depending on how well you two can travel, we could make the trip in six instead of seven days."

"It would be preferable," Rogue grumbled.

"We need to get to sleep then," Erza continued, waving over the waiter. "Everyone needs to be rested. A lot of tomorrow's journey is going to be uphill. It's a fairly beaten path. That's why the train doesn't travel through there."

"Thank god," Sting replied, seeming to sigh in relief. "I can't handle that again quite yet."

"Come on Sting," Lector argued, bouncing up. "You could take that train!"

"Let's not do that again," Lucy interrupted, standing from the table. "I can only handle that so many times. Come on Sting, I'm tired."

The slayer shot her a look as she stood up, his eyes having followed her ever since they got back to the hotel. She didn't know exactly what he was thinking about, but it was obvious something was bothering him. Smoothing out her skirt she turned, gently dragging Sting along behind her.

She tried to not focus too much on Natsu, who remained unusually quiet for most of the meal. Knowing him, she was pretty sure he was feeling guilty over keeping the Dan secret from the others.

Lucy just wasn't ready to tell everyone yet. Rogue and Yukino would be just as confused as Sting, probably more so, and she didn't want to handle questions. Maybe after they got on the road she could face telling them when Dan was long gone.

Her friends all had a strong protective streak. She didn't need to ignite that flame while they were still in town. Natsu alone was hard enough to handle.

Sting at least wasn't pushy, remaining quiet on their way up the steps. Whatever Loke told him at least him to stop making jokes all the time. She could thank him for that part.

Besides, he'd only given her a little lecture when they got to the hotel. That was more surprising than anything. She expected a rant but he kept it pretty short, well aware of how she could potentially react.

Pushing open the bedroom door she wished she had an excuse to go back to sleep. Instead she stopped just inside the room, staring at the bags she'd brought.

"Are we just gonna stand here?" Sting asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "You can totally do that, but at least let me get close enough to the bed to lay down."

Lucy blinked, moving somewhat robotically towards the bed. Sting sat down, giving her a curious look as she remained staring at first the luggage and then the mirror. Her eyes widened when she took in her appearance.

Her fingers smoothed over the skirt, recalling her debate this morning about putting it on. She had plenty of shorts and pants, but she picked this out instead. Gripping the fabric, she wished she hadn't.

"He loved when I wore skirts," she said, glaring at her reflection. "He used to complain when I didn't."

"Um-"

"Do you know why?" she continued, turning to look down at the man sitting beside her. He looked perplexed, maybe even a little hesitant, trying to read her face.

"I can guess."

"Fine. Tell me why then Sting."

Blinking, he cleared his throat. "Where exactly are you going with blondie? You seriously want to do this now?"

She frowned, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She almost sat down on him in her hurry, the man scooting away a second later. He met her eyes, looking concerned. "Lucy, don't tell me something you aren't ready to talk about. If you start crying Natsu really will come in here and rip my head off."

Holding his gaze, her fingers clenched the hem of her skirt again. "He always wanted them to be short you know. _Easy access_ that way. He used to get angry when I didn't want to wear them. He always thought I should wear them, but only around him. He would get angrier when I would wear them on missions. He thought I was flashing people for a _tactical_ reason."

Sting froze, taking in her words. He said something painfully similar to her just a couple days ago, and he wanted to kick himself. "Look, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just being an ass. They are short but I've seen you fight just fine in them."

"That's because I know how to," she snapped, narrowing her eyes. "You know I stopped wearing these for a while after he – after we stopped talking. We never really dated. It was barely even talking. I started wearing them again a couple weeks later. I – I put this one on this morning in case I saw him for some reason. At least he'd be pleased."

She laid down, ignoring the way his eyebrows shot up. He always slept on this side of the bed, since their agreement started. She also never laid this close to him. She was fingering the hem of her skirt, staring at the ceiling. "I probably shouldn't be trying to please him."

"No," Sting agreed, finding his voice. "If he was controlling like that and you weren't even officially together then you shouldn't give a damn about him. He sounds psycho. It's probably a good thing you broke up."

"Yeah," she said quietly, continuing to stare up. She didn't plan on moving anytime soon. "Sting? W-would you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

She gulped, wondering how utterly stupid and pathetic she sounded. "Um I'm… I'm tired. I don't want to fight changing. So um, if m-my skirt rolls up again like it did the first time d-don't look, okay?"

He was quiet for several moments, and she wondered if she'd really come off that loony. "Geez Lucy, don't make it sound like a crime. I told you before I'm not trying to freak you out." He shifted, and for a moment she wondered what he was doing until she felt the blanket fall across her body. "There. That one's all yours. It's too warm in here anyway, I don't want a blanket. This way I can't see anything anyway."

Despite herself Lucy smiled, finding his response kind of sweet. "Okay. Thank you Sting."

He stayed quiet, staring at her long after she fell asleep. Scooting over as far as the bracelet would allow Sting leaned his head back against the headboard, groaning quietly. There was no way he'd be able to sleep after that, not tonight.

 **A/n: So anyway it will stop being so depressing after next chapter. We'll get into some action and more conversations with the rest of the team. I'm officially married and back from my honeymoon now, so I'm hoping to update more often. I think this chapter had an okay mixture of things to keep it from getting boring. Until next time!**

 **Also, if you follow my other Sting/Lucy story, the next chapter is a WIP, I've just been a little stuck. It's coming though!**


	8. Chapter 8

Sting was having a really hard time not asking questions. And truth be told, if he wasn't connected to Lucy all hours of the day, he would've confided in Rogue.

That being said, it's hard to talk about someone when they are right there all the damn time. It was beginning to give him a headache not being able to properly discuss his dilemmas with anyone, but it didn't matter. He couldn't really do anything about it anyway.

They set out early the next morning, bags hanging heavily under both sets of eyes as they heaved themselves out of the room. Lucy successfully convinced him to have a shower this morning, even if she seemed horrified for a large portion of the time, she did seem happier when the process was finished.

He was more than a little surprised. He figured she'd remain uncomfortable and not go through with another shower until the next town. He couldn't wait to see how all this was supposed to go while they were sleeping outside.

Sting didn't question her when she pulled on pants and a covering shirt, choosing to be quiet instead of sarcastic. Lucy didn't say much about it, and he assumed that was a good sign. She was fairly vocal when unhappy.

Rolling his shoulder, he ignored the soreness in his muscles. Lucy had the easier position as they walked; he'd noticed her skin chafing again when they woke this morning and decided to make it a bit easier on her. His skin still hadn't gotten rubbed raw and he could see the annoyance in her eyes whenever she noticed.

It was probably a little unfair.

"We should be traveling for six days," Erza explained, walking beside the pair. "By the sixth night we should reach the next town. Hopefully it isn't too hard climbing the path like that. You can't possibly carry Lucy like that can you?"

Sting, who was only somewhat paying attention, zoned back in at that. "What?"

"Some of the terrain is rough. It's going to get worse the further north we go. The hills are steep, and I can't imagine you two trying to climb a hill with four legs and three hands. If you can pick her up it might help both of you to jump when possible."

He stared, looking at her like she'd grown a second head. "How is that easier?"

"Well, you two already walk rather awkwardly, but if you swung her arm around your neck you could probably jump."

"It's kind of hard to get our arms to do anything," Lucy said, speaking up. "I don't think jumping is going to be the easiest thing for either of us."

"Well then we need to practice," Erza reasoned, folding her arms. "What are you two going to do if we need to fight? You haven't practiced that either."

"It's not like we've had the time," Sting grumbled. "Learning how to walk and do basic shit is hard enough."

Erza pouted, folding up the map she was reading. "The first two days of travel shouldn't be too bad. You may want to practice during our downtime. Your connected arms still don't generate any magic?"

Pressing his lips together, Sting refused to acknowledge that yesterday he had somehow summoned one of Lucy's spirits. He still didn't know how that happened, and would rather call it a fluke than try to work with it. He was used to his magic and could control it a lot better than those keys on Lucy's _opposite_ hip.

"No," Lucy answered, shaking her head. He was thankful she slept through the whole ordeal yesterday, unsure how she would feel about this. She used holder type magic, and it had a significantly different feeling than the magic he possessed. When he summoned his dragon slayer power it coursed through his blood, and if that was something she suddenly activated on accident he wasn't sure how she would react. "It leaves us at a huge disadvantage."

"Which is why you must practice," Erza stressed, smacking a fisted hand down against her flattened palm. "Otherwise you may as well just run at the first sign of danger."

Sting bristled, insulted by the idea. "I don't run."

"No," she agreed, "but to avoid getting smacked into the ground, you may need to."

He grumbled as she marched purposefully away, already directing her attention to Wendy at the very front. He zoned out on whatever she was saying, glancing towards his blonde arm-mate.

"Can you jump high?"

Lucy groaned, glaring at him through the corner of her eyes. "You know I can't keep up with you."

"Okay, can you run?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to do that jumping-running-flipping nonsense some of you guys do. I don't even know how we'd manage with this thing on our wrists. We'd just get tangled."

He pursed his lips, annoyed. "Well how are we supposed to fight? We have to be careful. I could shock you if magic pulsed through this arm."

"Or yourself."

"Unless I'm seriously trying to take something down I don't think my own magic would kill me that easily. Yours either since its primarily summoning magic."

Huffing, she brushed her hair away from her face. There was a cool breeze today, which was refreshing as they walked. Sting was already feeling warm, squished so close to the blonde he couldn't escape. He still wore his crop top, unwilling to don anything else until he had to. This was his look after all.

He'd already given up his gloves, the top and his jacket could wait a while longer.

"I guess," she grumbled, her mind seeming to trail off. "But I agree with Erza. If it comes down to it I'd prefer if we could protect ourselves. One of us hiding behind the other won't work either. We'd probably need to fight back to back to get anything done."

Frowning, he wondered how difficult that would be. Maybe there was some merit to practicing after all.

Besides, he needed an excuse to work out.

Somehow they ended up at the back of the group. He guessed it was probably due to how slow they walked. The closet people were Rogue and Yukino, who after a couple minutes of silence decided to join them.

"How's walking?" the perky whitehead asked, smiling at the pair. "You seem to be doing better."

"We had to learn quickly," Lucy agreed, returning the grin. Sting watched quietly, noting what a good actress the celestial mage could be. Yesterday and the day before she was a mess, barely surviving meals, and today she could pull off conversations and still act normal. "My shoulder's slowly learning to adjust to being pulled."

"You're not even being pulled today," he reminded, glaring at the girl. "You got the easy way this time."

"Yeah, after you've had it for like three days."

"Sting needs the easy way," Lector agreed from his place in Yukino's arms. "He can take anything! But his muscles need to relax."

"Lector," he grumbled, just as Lucy startled to chuckle, "that's not helpful."

"What?" the cat asked, squirming in Yukino's arms. "Lucy should be happy. Your right arm is a lot stronger than your left since you-"

"Okay," he interrupted, ignoring how Rogue snorted at the comment. Apparently the girls found it hilarious too, unable to hold back their peals of laughter. Sting could feel his face redden, wishing Lector wouldn't announce everything like that.

Ahead of then, he noticed Natsu whip around at Lector's words, and Wendy turn back just as quickly, a blush already there.

Seriously, his exceed couldn't make him sound any worse at the moment.

"M-moving right along," he stuttered, sparing a glance Lucy's way. He wasn't sure if Lector's words would freak her out or not, but she looked genuinely entertained as she laughed. Well, at least that was working in his favor.

"I don't get it," Wendy grumbled, looking annoyed. "Why is his right arm stronger?"

"Child!" Carla cried, interjecting before anyone else could. "Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to!"

"Well, I think I know why-" she began, cheeks growing redder.

"No!" Gray interjected, waving his hands. "We don't need to talk about it."

Natsu paused beside the ice-make wizard, sneering. "What happened to your pants?"

Sting watched as the irritated wizard started looking around, surprised he hadn't noticed the man stripping at some point since he was in front of them. Natsu laughed, saying something to Happy that go drowned out by Gray's grumblings. Ahead he could see that Erza had stopped Wendy in the road, both the young dragon slayer and exceed as red as tomatoes.

"I didn't need an explanation Erza!" the bluenette cried, waving her arms. "You don't need to explain this!"

"Nonsense, you need to understand men. You see, they often have a stronger dominant arm when they stroke-"

"Stop it!" Sting cried, his embarrassment growing. By that point Rogue had stopped walking altogether, stopping at a nearby rock to continue laughing, actual tears in his eyes. Frosch sat on the ground beside him, patting his leg as though to comfort the slayer.

Erza looked up, apparently oblivious to how much worse this was making everything. "She's going to be a young woman soon. She needs to understand men."

"Why does that have to be right now?" he cried, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He noticed Lucy was still feigning a smile beside him, but she was starting to look uncomfortable again.

Beside her, Yukino seemed to be trying and failing to chastise Lector for revealing personal information. "…not something we announce! How to you even know that Lector?"

"Oh, Minerva told me-"

"What!?" Sting cried, looking alarmed. Any concerns Lucy seemed to have disappeared, breaking into laugher again along with the remaining members of their group, the mage sinking into the ground as the laughs raked through her body.

Lector frowned as Yukino lost control, rolling onto her side as she laughed. He looked up at Sting, thoroughly confused. "What? Milady said it had to be the reason why your right-armed attacks are so much stronger."

"That's not the reason!" Sting cried, giving up. There was no way to come back from this now. He looked around the path with a scowl, from the entertained looks of most of the group to Wendy and Lector's confused expressions, and Frosch who was on lying on his back.

He huffed. What a great freaking day.

* * *

Lucy felt a little better after this morning. At least she wasn't the only one who had seriously embarrassing stories about herself.

Still, Sting's story was both hilarious and blush-worthy. She hadn't thought of him doing _anything_ like that since he was joking around the very first day. Now she couldn't help wondering if what Lector said was true, and if he was just… abstaining from doing anything while they were attached.

She wondered if she should thank him for that, but thought better of it. That would probably make everything much worse.

They made good time throughout the day, finally stopping for the night when the sky darkened and cool night air swept down the path. They found a decent sized clearing not too far from the path and set up camp, Erza already preparing to make dinner for everyone.

That left them in a bit of a predicament. Lucy and Sting both had sleeping bags, which he was in the process of zipping together. She didn't exactly want to be pressed so close to him but the air was fairly cold, and their fire would undoubtedly go out at some point in the night.

She pressed her lips together, recalling how awkward it was earlier when Natsu offered to help keep her warm.

" _Don't worry Luce," the pinkette said, shooting Sting a look over her shoulder, "if you get cold tonight I'll keep you warm."_

 _Lucy blinked, unsure she heard him right. Now everyone stopped what they were doing, listening into what would no doubt end up being an uncomfortable conversation._

 _She cleared her throat before replying. "Um, how will you do that?"_

 _He looked perplexed by the question. "Well, I'm gonna sleep with you of course."_

 _Sting snorted, causing Natsu to scowl. She couldn't deny that the fire breather had been rather sensible since running into Dan two towns back, but he was history now and clearly Natsu wanted to be the one taking care of her again._

" _Don't even think about it Natsu," Sting snapped, crossing his arms. Lucy glared at him as he tugged her closer, jerking her arm. "I have to sleep near her, and there's no way I want you that close to me while I'm asleep."_

" _So you're going to keep Luce warm?" he asked, an edge in her voice. "There's no way you're warmer than I am!"_

" _Hey, I generate warm too! Hello, does the work_ white light _mean anything to you-"_

" _That's two words," Lucy grumbled._

" _-I generate heat when I use my magic too. So far Lucy's been just fine without you, and I'm sure tonight is no difference."_

" _We weren't outside," Natsu growled, seeming more upset about not sleeping near her outside than back in the hotels. "She'll freeze."_

" _Hey, I do have a sleeping bag," she spat. "And Sting's! You guys do realize I've been able to stay warm before either of you were around, right?"_

That more or less ended the discussion. She'd be sleeping a lot closer to Sting than she had previous nights, but keeping both their arms out of the sleeping bags all night would just keep them cool, and Lucy didn't want _just Sting's hand_ in there with her.

So they were going to share. They weren't too far north yet, so Sting said if he slept on his side unzipped he'd be warm enough during the night. That meant they really weren't going to be too squished together…

Right?

"Which side as you sleeping on Luce?" Natsu asked, hands gripping the straps of his backpack. "I'll be sure to sleep beside you just in case."

She smiled gently, knowing he meant well even if he was making things more awkward. "That side," she said, pointing away from where Sting dropped his bag.

"Great. You'll have nothing to worry about," the boy replied with a grin, plopping down nearly on top of her side of the sleeping bag.

Lucy suppressed a cringe. Yeah, this already wasn't going to go well.

Dinner passed by better than expected, the dragon slayers having to maintain a semblance of control since they had limited supplies until they reached the next town in about a week. By the time they were all ready to sleep a steadily cooling breeze was blowing through the clearing, and Wendy and Yukino had already sank down into their sleeping bags.

Erza studied the weather, legs crossed on her own spot. "We don't want to start using the tents until we have to. If you use them before it's time we'll get used to the warmth instead of adapting to the weather. Besides, they are more of a hassle to put up."

Gray nodded from his place beside her, patting Carla on the head before disappearing into his own bag for the night. "Agreed. Adjustment is key. You guys have to learn to stop feeling the cold."

Natsu was already grumbling about that, half asleep with Happy by his head. Rogue was on the other side of Yukino, who was between the twin dragons. Lucy let her eyes travel around the circle once more before slipping in between the expanded sleeping bag, Sting letting her get comfortable before joining her.

"Just say the word Luce and I'll kick his butt," Natsu grumbled, half awake.

"Why would you need to do that?" Sting snapped back, having barely settled down onto the ground. "I'd kick yours first."

Natsu popped one eye open, lifting his head to peer over Lucy at the White Dragon Slayer. "Wanna bet?"

"No!" she cried, eyes widening as the pair leaned closer. "No he does not! Sting, lay down. I want to go to sleep."

"But Natsu-"

"If Natsu does something I don't have to follow," she snapped, wiggling her captured wrist. "If you start fighting I have to come along, and it's cold. Go to sleep."

Sting huffed, rolling his eyes as he settled in again. Natsu said something that she missed, hating the way the blond's eyes slid to her partner like he was becoming the enemy.

What was with him? Not even a week ago he asked Sting to protect her no matter what, now he was arguing with him over who got to sleep next to her? Lucy thought it was ridiculous.

Slipping as far into the sleeping bag as she comfortably could, she peeked over at Sting. His eyes were peacefully closed, Lector sleeping in the empty space just above their heads. His one arm was resting lazily over his chest, the sleeping bag still only half covering his body. His other arm was closer to her, the girl turning on her side to make things more comfortable.

She heard Natsu sigh behind her, and just couldn't figure him out. Did something happen where he was now upset again that she had to stay so close to Sting?

Forcing her eyes closer again she clenched her hands, her brow creasing a little as she tried to find sleep. Dan's faced flashed through her mind over and over, their brief time together creating a dangerous play in her head, one she didn't want to watch again.

Lucy wearily opened her eyes, totally unable to find sleep. Around the circle she could hear several people snoring, including Natsu's distinct tone. Her eyes hesitated before glancing at Sting's face again, noting that he appeared just as out of it as everyone else.

Letting her eyes travel lower, she noticed his hand was still exposed. Hers was barely covered by the sleeping bag, surprised he hadn't bothered to get cozier before sleeping Maybe he really was warm.

Pursing her lips, she thought about the blond man beside her. She wouldn't say being around him made her feel better by any means, but he gave her a sense of calm that she found surprising. She'd definitely seen him get angry, but there was something about Sting that calmed her eccentric nerves.

Despite her run-in with Dan, she didn't have just nightmares the evening following their encounter. Having someone close by when she was frightened made a difference, and though her rest was fitful it was better than could be expected.

Why didn't she feel that way when she was with Natsu? If anything, she found his overprotective nature tonight to be too much. Sting hadn't done anything bad to her, why would he start now with everyone so close by?

Maybe he was just jealous?

Lucy had to stifle a laugh, finding the whole idea absolutely ridiculous. Why would he be jealous? Natsu didn't like-like her…

Did he?

She suppressed the urge to groan, knowing there were too many pairs of ears in the clearing that would overhear it. Glancing at Sting's calm face again, she tried shutting her eyes.

Nope, that wasn't going to work. Dan's face flashed through her head again, his piercing eyes cutting into her. He'd brought her to a field a little like this, and then –

Her thoughts faltered when she felt Sting shift beside her, focusing on him again. He was awake, using his free arm to pull the sleeping bag across his midsection as he rolled on his side as well, facing her.

His eyes stared into hers, asking a question he wouldn't speak. If he did anyone might hear them, which could just end up waking everyone up for no reason. She had considered whispering to him, but with Natsu so close by she figured the sound of her voice would alert him right away. She didn't want to do that.

Despite herself Lucy felt a little better as Sting looked at her, his free hand coming up to brush her cheek. She blinked, realizing that her cheeks were wet and he probably just swiped at a tear. Her cheeks tinted pink, embarrassed.

In the fading light of the fire she could see the puzzlement in his eyes, like he was trying to figure out what was going on. Unclenching her hand she wiggled the chain, the soft jangling giving some relief to her aching wrist.

Lucy didn't know what she was doing. Maybe she was losing it. Twisting her hand she sought his beneath the sleeping bag, something they hadn't tried before. There was no chain between the bands, which made finding his fingers difficult. She almost cried out in anguish when she realized her hand couldn't grasp his at this angle with the damned ban on.

Sting looked confused, eyes glancing down at the sleeping bag and their covered arms. He seemed to pick up on what she was attempting, sliding his free hand underneath until his fingers grasped hers, giving them a squeeze.

Visibly, she relaxed. For one reason or another that physical connection made her feel better about sleeping. Even if Dan did stow-away into her dreams, hopefully having a connection to someone she trusted would help keep her in check.

Lucy blinked, thinking that over. Did she just associate trust with Sting?

When she focused on his face again his eyes were closed, a soft snore escaping his lips. Well, apparently he was comfortable enough to find sleep. Closing her eyes, she hoped the same thing happened to her. She'd be all but useless tomorrow without some rest.

As Lucy fell asleep, she didn't realize her lips were tugging into a smile, her hand gripping a bit tighter onto his.

* * *

Sting's eyes sprang open when a peculiar scent caught his attention, sitting up at the same time as Rogue. Natsu was already up, looking around as Wendy sat up as well. They appeared to be the only ones awake right now.

The fire breather turned his attention to Sting, his earlier anger gone. "Do you smell that?"

He gave a curt nod, eyes narrowing as he looked around. "Someone is close by."

"A lot of someone's," Wendy whispered, shaking Carla awake. "At least a dozen people."

"Traveling in the middle of the night," Rogue grumbled, reaching over to shake Yukino. Natsu did the same to Gray, jumping away when the stripper jerked awake only half dressed. Wendy attempted to wake up Erza, but the scarlet haired warrior was already lifting her head, glancing around.

Turning his attention to Lucy he gave her a gentle shake, tensing when her eyes jerked wide open and her mouth gaped, like she was going to scream. His eyes widened, sharp senses the only reason he could see so well in the dark.

He placed a hand instinctively over her mouth, hoping to god she didn't shriek. That would trigger an unknown amount of problems, and he didn't need Natsu trying to attack him when they should be focusing on the approaching threat.

No group traveled like that at night unless they were after something. He couldn't smell anything distinctive yet, just that the approaching mass was indeed made of humans and not some sort of beast.

Lucy's eyes blinked in the dark, her tense body relaxing a moment after she finally recognized him in the dark. Sting let go of her mouth when he was sure that she wouldn't cry out, watching the girl take a visible, shaky breath.

"What's going on?" she breathed, sitting up beside him. Sting inclined his head, letting some of the others get up before him. He would much rather check the danger himself, but he and Lucy were very unprepared if a real attack was coming.

They should've practiced, but hadn't gotten around to it today, planning to try tomorrow. Apparently they were going to have a crash course tonight.

"They might stay on the path," Erza breathed, eyes dancing around. "They might not see us."

Gray nodded in the dark, killing the embers with a bit of ice. No smoke escaped, but a bit of steam drifted up. Sting didn't think that was exactly better, but didn't say anything as he shifted into a crouching position.

The people were closer now, moving at a much faster speed than before. He wondered if they could sense others up ahead, when something suddenly whizzed through the clearing, missing Yukino by roughly a meter.

Sting jumped up, dragging Lucy with him. Everyone tensed, the white haired mage pulling out the object from the ground.

"It's an arrow!"

Lucy jerked to the side when another arrow darted through the clearing in the dark, barely missing the blonde. Several more followed suit, the wizards roaring to life.

"It's an attack!" Erza roared, jumping to her feet. "Lucy, you and Sting need to get back."

Sting growled, "I'm not-"

"We don't have time to argue," Lucy begged, tugging on his arm. The first attacker broke into their clearing, Natsu immediately lighting his fists and taking action. Sting scowled, preferring to do that than back up like a coward.

He relented when the others surged forward, shuffling back with the blonde. She had a key out like she wanted to summon someone but hesitated, glancing his way in the dark.

"I don't know how much help we'll be."

"Well, we can try. Summon whoever-"

He broke the sentence off, suddenly jerking and dragging Lucy down into the dirt. She yelped, dropping her key in the process as a set of arrows sailed over their heads in the dark.

"Who are these people?!" she shrieked.

"Dunno," Sting hissed, noting the arrows stuck in the ground behind them. They barely missed their mark, one unsettlingly close to Lucy's left foot. "We better not do anything unless we have to. We're a wreck."

"Oh, now you want to be reasonable?"

"Don't sass me-"

He cut off again, the pair managing to jerk up together as a figure landed in front of them. He was a rather huge man with bulging muscles, and even in the dark Sting could see the gleam in his eyes.

"What, you two don't want to join the party?"

Sting growled, reaching out to push Lucy behind him. And the same time the unknown assailant jumped forward, trying to strike while he was distracted. Surprised Lucy held up a hand, pointing towards him as a means to alert Sting.

It didn't work out that way.

White light shot from her finger, briefly lighting up the space in front of them. Sting's eyes widened when he recognized _his_ magic shooting out of her arm, striking the surprised man in the chest. It wasn't an incredibly powerful attack but it did the trick, sending him tumbling back several feet.

Even without the light, Sting could see the horrified surprise on Lucy's face even as she stared at her finger. "Wh-wh-"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you we might be able to use each other's magic," he said sheepishly, feeling her intense glare even in the dark. "Whoopsie."

 **A/n: R & R and let me know what you think! What do you think will happen if they can harness each other's magic? Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

" _Whoopsie?"_

Lucy, completely distracted by the sudden surge of rage that coursed through her body at Sting's nonchalant behavior, got a little too distracted as she turned full force on the dragon slayer.

"Whoopsie!?" she repeated, her voice carrying in the dark, "Who just _forgets_ something like that?"

Sting, his dragon senses always one step ahead, managed to drag them both (rather painfully mind you) out of the way of the newest attack, rolling with Lucy gracelessly into the dirt. The muscled man barely missed them, the air whooshing by as he passed. "It just slipped my mind!"

"How?" she screamed, dragging him behind a large stone. Even Sting realized fighting in their current situation wasn't the best option, and chose to hang back for a moment as the chaos around them continued. His senses were on alert, prepared for the blundering oaf to try again. "When did you even figure this out?"

"Oh, that," he continued, braving a peek from behind the rock before ducking down again. Magic helped light up the clearing, but it was still just flashes of clear vision, and a lot of reliance on his dragon senses. It didn't seem like the attackers were wizards, which should speed things up. "Well, at the bar-"

"Which we agreed we are not going to mention to the others-"

"-yeah, yeah," Sting mumbled, staring in her direction. "Anyway, at the bar I got distracted and kind of tried to look at your keys and well… Loke showed up."

He could feel her penetrating glare even in the dark, like she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. "And… that didn't like, freak you out?"

"Oh it was weird," he agreed, ears perking up. He hadn't had much time to focus on how everyone else was doing with their attacks, a little distracted for the time being with his arm-mate. He was prepared to take on the man from before, but his scent seemed to be drifting away instead of closer. "Your lion didn't know what to think either."

"He's not my-"

"Jump back!" Sting interrupted, leaping away from the rock. He ended up dragging Lucy for a step or two, the girl unable to get her bearings while he was busy pulling her body back at a breakneck pace. The rock they'd been standing behind exploded, bits of rubble bouncing off of them.

That was a pretty powerful attack for people who couldn't use magic.

"What is their problem?" she seethed, scrambling to stand beside him. Sting froze, having been so intent on making sure they didn't get into a fight they couldn't handle, that he hadn't paid much mind to Lucy.

Now he couldn't fight off the smell assaulting his nose. _Blood_.

"You're hurt," he remarked, moving them further back still. It went against every instinct he had to back away, but if she was injured engaging in a battle wouldn't do them any good.

Lucy was quiet for a moment before he felt a pull on their cuff. "It's just my wrist. The skin is still irritated. I think all our running around caused it to scrape the skin raw.

He cringed, immediately feeling bad for causing her pain. He knew his skin tolerated the bracelets rough metal better than hers did, but he hadn't considered what all the jumping around might do. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Not your fault," she bit out, already tugging on the cuff. "We should get out of the way… go hide in the trees or something."

Sting hesitated, his own self-image crumbling at the very idea of hiding in a fight. Instead he zoned her out, listening to the scuffling around them.

It was quieter than before, and he could only assume they were winning.

"We're probably fine right here," he reasoned, turning back to the fight. It was later than he thought, the peeks of early morning beginning to tinge the sky. It was easy enough to see that almost everyone was handled, their teammates beginning to form a circle as Erza finished off the muscled guy from before.

Lucy blinked, her eyes seeming to adjust slower than his. "Or I guess we can just go back to the others."

"Good idea."

She hesitated, the blond male remaining by her side as he watched her internal fight. "Do you.,. Do you think any of them noticed when I used your power?"

"I don't think anyone else was really looking our way," Sting reasoned, "especially in the dark. But I see where you're going with this. Are you thinking we should keep it a secret?"

Again, she hesitated, causing him to wonder if he was doing something wrong. "I don't know. It's going to be hard to if I can just activate your magic by pointing."

"Which is incredibly inaccurate by the way," he grumbled, the pair moving in unison back towards the group. "But we can probably wait until it's not so god damn early – late, whatever. The sky is still gray."

Lucy snorted. "It's black."

"Excuse me?"

"What? It's before two in the morning. The sky will remain technically black after that for several hours before it dissolves into grey."

Sting blinked, letting the topic go just before they reached their friends. "You really are a weirdo."

Something he said must've upset her, as Lucy clamped her mouth shut and didn't say another word as they returned to the group. Everyone else made quick work of their attackers, rounding them up into a circle as the pair approached. He half expected Natsu to rush over and check on Lucy with how he was acting earlier, but the slayer seemed to be in the middle of some sort of half-assed debate with one of the bandits.

Sting sized them up as they approached. With flashlights resting on the ground he realized they must've thought they were attacking someone totally different. From what he could tell none of them were wizards, and they appeared pretty poorly equipped to do battle with mages. They probably noticed people up ahead and decided to take a gamble. Too bad it went south so quick.

"There you two are," Gray said, drawing their attention as they arrived. Apparently he had no qualms stripping in the middle of the night or a fight, and Sting was dismayed to see he was down to his drawers again. "Did you get in any good hits like that?"

"Uh, sort of," Lucy grumbled, rubbing the back of her head. He half expected to be interrogated by the group but it never came, everyone going silent as Frosch approached, Lector several steps behind.

Damnit, he knew they should've left the exceed behind. Frosch was a complete distraction.

"Look at how cute!" one of the men cried out, and he realized the battle was already over. With Rogue's silly cat around they could apparently tempt anyone to talk.

"Why did you attack our camp?" Erza asked, unsurprisingly taking charge. Sting was growing more and more used to watching the scarlet haired mage handle anything business or interrogation related. It seemed like everyone else just took a back seat unless they were needed.

"We weren't trying to cause trouble!" another man piped up, looking a whole lot scrawnier than the first. "Honest! We thought we could take you guys-"

"And why would you say that?" Erza continued, her expression darkening.

Sting zoned out the conversation, glancing towards Frosch again. At some point Lector caught ahold of his arm, attempting to drag his friend back. When one of the attackers tried to reach forward and pet Frosch Rogue finally broke, snatching his clueless cat off of the ground, accidently bringing Lector along as he landed on his shoulder.

Smirking he tried to focus again, noting that Erza, Natsu and a puzzled looking Yukino were ushering the bandits out of their area, Erza smacking each man that walked by dully on the head with her sword.

Blinking a couple times, he tried to believe that what he was seeing was real. It was apparently too early for Erza to be properly attacking people. Glancing towards Lucy he noted that she looked just as puzzled as Yukino, but nowhere near as surprised.

Maybe this was common?

As soon as the bandits were out of earshot Erza turned to the group, meeting each member's eyes in turn. "We should move. They went down pretty quick for people who state they thought they could handle us. They gave no reason why they attacked us while we were sleeping."

Sting's brows furrowed, and he would've asked a question if Wendy didn't beat him to it. "Do you think this was a setup?"

"We have no way of knowing that," Yukino reasoned, clasping her hands together. "But we chose to travel during the week to avoid a lot of traffic on the path. The fact that we just randomly ran into a group of ten men who happened to come the same way and think they could take us on is troubling?"

"What do you think they wanted?" Lucy asked, but her tone was weary. There were at least a dozen things they could've been after that wouldn't be far-fetched.

"Who knows," Rogue muttered, hugging Forsch a little bit closer. "But it's still worrisome. It's a pain to move at night but better safe than sorry. If this was a setup or anything else even close it's better to be on our feet and moving if trouble strikes."

Erza nodded before her eyes skirted to Lucy and Sting, staring at the band. "I take it fighting didn't go well?"

"We didn't really try," Sting grumbled, deciding Lucy was right to ignore their magic swapping for the time being.

"We figured it was easier to get out of the way while you guys handled it," she added. "If we got stuck or had a problem it didn't make sense to cause more issues, especially in the dark."

Nodding again, Erza seemed to take that as a good enough answer. "Alright then, let's get packed up and move out. Stay on alert. We may not know what they wanted, but if it has anything to do with the bracelets or a member of our group then we better not take anymore chances."

* * *

The following two days of travel were extremely uneventful. By the third Lucy could feel a constant ache in her arm and shoulder as she walked with Sting, who was surprisingly gentle with his movements since they set out for the next town. Wendy made quick work of her wrist so there were no more marks, and it didn't even hurt from the former cuts now.

She kept glancing at Sting as they walked, wondering when he'd stop feeling guilty. He'd said he was sorry more than a dozen times now, and it was getting old. Lucy definitely didn't blame him for reacting in the moment and trying to drag her away from trouble, but he blamed himself for the band rubbing her skin too much. There didn't seem to be anything she could do to get through to him.

Natsu was a completely different story. He wanted to blame Sting several times for the marks showing up, but she always shot him down. It wasn't like they had control over this. And she definitely didn't need anyone making the poor guy feel any worse than he already did.

It was just as annoying as the first night when it came to sleeping, but Lucy decided it couldn't be helped. Natsu wouldn't stop acting this way no matter what she did. For some reason without a wall separating them at night he was twice as protective, and it was beginning to grate on Lucy's nerves.

Didn't they have enough to worry about without his childish behavior?

"Milady says things at the guild are going well," Rogue said, having joined them in the middle of the group. Lucy found it kind of interesting to hear status updates from Yukino and Rogue, who apparently talked to Minerva each night. She thought it was weird that she didn't just contact Sting directly, but that was one more thing for the young master to do, and he looked pretty dead most of the time.

"No more act ups?"

"The only person you have to worry about is Dobengal, and he's just as scared of Minerva as the rest of us."

"That's why I put her in charge," he grumbled, staring straight ahead. "And Rufus doesn't have anything new?"

Rogue shrugged, glancing at the pair. "Our guilds talk every day. It doesn't sound like anything as terrible as the last time you spoke with Levy has happened since, but this is becoming an issue around Fiore. There were nineteen pairs total of you idiots who got stuck in the bands-"

Sting bristled. "Hey-"

"- _but_ , now there's twenty four. They aren't supposed to be selling the bands now that people have realized that they cause these problems, but someone's still purchasing them off the black market and handing them out. Hell, I don't know how long the new people have been connected. They could've just chosen to not say anything until they realized things really were bad."

Huffing, he glanced over at Lucy. "And let me guess. Berchinni isn't going to get in trouble for shit?"

Lucy sighed. "Sting, people who have massive amounts of money can bend any rules they want. God knows my father did it all the time. Like I told you before, he's practically the king up north. He's not going to get in trouble for his products _malfunctioning_. He's going to bribe anyone who tries to give him trouble and move on to the next big item."

"But I thought he had some sort of sinister, ulterior plan for these things," he grumbled, giving their wrists a shake. "This can't be his idea of a cruel joke."

"I wouldn't put it past him. Remember part of our information came from that lousy journalist in Crocus. Some of what we know may not be accurate. People we question should be much more informed the further north we go."

"Then we still have a while. This journey's going to take weeks of time we don't have."

"As long as we don't start acting stupid the bracelets shouldn't cause us any harm. We haven't accidently hurt each other yet so that's a good sign." She shuddered involuntarily, giving him a strained smile. "I'd much rather not chance it anyway. I can't imagine getting hit with a surge of White Dragon Slayer magic would be good for my health."

Sting grumbled something she couldn't hear, and Lucy let the topic go. She thought she'd get a nice little update on Sabertooth, not end up discussing the woes of their situation again.

"Hopefully you're right about the informants," Rogue supplied, trying to pick up the conversation again. "The others are having a hard time pulling information. This Berchinni guy really kept himself under wraps."

"That's not a surprise. He's rich enough to have the money to pay people to keep quiet about him, and to only spread good rumors. He's not pleasant, but I never heard anyone save his close associates – _like my father_ – complaining about his true nature. A lot of people up north really like him."

"Great, now we're going to fight everyone's favorite dude."

Lucy scowled, elbowing the blond man. She was happy now to have her free arm close to him as they walked. It was satisfying when he grunted, shooting her a look a few moments later."

Rogue clicked his tongue, walking farther ahead. "What are we going to do with the two of you?"

* * *

"We'll be in town tomorrow," Wendy reminded as they set out for the final day. She had Carla in her arms, smiling at the pair as they started off. "Hopefully we can learn something when we reach it."

"Hopefully," Lucy agreed, thinking about how dull the past few days were. No one ever attacked following the attack that first night, but everyone was still weary. Depending on who those men really were, there could still be trouble ahead.

Lucy wasn't as concerned with finding information right now as she was with taking a shower. Some of the others washed off in a lake they found yesterday, but she and Sting agreed pretty quickly that swimming may not be their best chance.

Well, she agreed. Sting had other ideas.

After all, if she _drowned_ Aquarius might actually jump out of her key and have her head. She frowned as they walked, thinking back to the nightmare yesterday really was.

" _Are you to going to get in?" Yukino asked, sitting on the bank with her legs in the water. That was about as fair as either of the blonds had gotten, sitting there debating every few minutes._

" _I won't let you drown," Sting said for the third time. "I'm a great swimmer!"_

" _I swim just fine. But I don't do so hot when I only have one arm," she snapped, refusing to budge. "Besides, I already said no. We are not going to try to bathe."_

" _You can use the private area over there," Yukino suggested, pointing to a section of the lake that was blocked by rocks and some mossy trees. "I think Natsu is up next, but you two could probably manage if everyone else isn't looking."_

" _I'm not doing that either!" she cried, looking at the white haired mage like she'd lost her mind. "We're fine waiting two more days!"_

" _Your fine," Sting spat, glaring her way. "I have a stronger sense of smell and let me tell you, we could both use a rinse off."_

" _I said no!"_

" _Come on," he continued, hopping into the water. It only came up to his knees, the splash just enough to coat the bottom part of Lucy's jeans. "I'll play nice."_

" _Sting," she warned, glancing at Yukino, who after a moment seemed to take the hint._

" _I think I'll leave you two to fight it out," she said, standing up on the bank. "Besides, I promised Wendy I'd meet up with her. Good luck."_

 _Abandoned, Lucy couldn't help but glare after the other celestial mage. She didn't even try to take her side! Huffing she turned back to the man gently tugging on her arm, wrinkling his nose again._

" _I can't smell that bad! The most I've done is run during that ambush."_

" _Ambushes are usually successful," Sting muttered, rolling his eyes. "Come on, at least splash around! We're sweating more than the others because we're constantly fighting with each other whenever we have to talk. A little rinse off won't hurt."_

 _Lucy frowned, glancing down at the mostly white shirt she was wearing. She wore something else when they left town, but after several days she'd made Sting walk with her somewhere so she could change. The snaps on the one shoulder and ties on the side left her a little more exposed than she would prefer, but out here no one was going to bother her._

 _Besides, Sting already learned the hard way to not pick on her outfits._

" _No," she said with a sigh, tugging on his arm. "Please, I don't want to have to change again until we're in town."_

 _Sting didn't budge, studying her closely. "But blondie-"_

" _No," she snapped, attempting to drag him away. "One more day won't be that bad."_

" _I disagree."_

" _You haven't agreed with anything I've said all day."_

 _Sting hesitated, and she tensed as his eyes darted around. Oh no, this couldn't be good. Before she had time to continue arguing he shifted forward, grabbing her somewhat awkwardly and throwing her over his left shoulder, letting his right arm get pulled across his body in the process._

" _I'm not taking no for an answer!"_

 _Lucy shrieked when he took off, Natsu coming into view as the blond turned and ran across the space, directly towards the hidden alcove. The pinkette watched rather perplexed, even as Sting threw up a hand to wave despite Lucy's protests. "We're just going to take a dip, don't mind us!"_

 _She started kicking him, already imaging trying to swim away from his antics with one arm. They'd be lucky if they didn't drown in the midst of arguing. "Sting! Put me down this instant!"_

" _Oh, I plan to," he replied, just as shadows overtook them, Lucy immediately realizing that they had entered the mossy area. "Relax a little!"_

" _I will_ not _-"_

 _She choked at the sudden, cold sensation of water surging up over her head. She hadn't had enough time to properly kick Sting in the head before he rather carelessly jumped into the water, hoping he hadn't misjudged the depth and doomed them both. Throwing her limbs around, Lucy had enough sense to close her mouth despite the suffocating feeling of swallowing water. She wiggled around, her limbs sluggishly moving through the water._

 _If she drowned, she'd have a whole lot to say to Sting in the afterlife._

 _They broke the surface a couple seconds later, Lucy gasping out of the water just before Sting, the girl somehow still clutched to his shoulder. She sputtered and coughed, shoving away from him as she found footing on the ground. Apparently they had moved close enough to touch the bottom again, as he didn't seem to be swimming as he brushed his hair out of his face._

 _Lucy spun around, ignoring the digging pain in her wrist. "You i-idiot!" she cried, coughing again. "You could've killed us!"_

" _I wasn't going to kill us."_

" _We can't swim!"_

" _We haven't tried."_

" _Who just jumps into the water without any warning-"_

" _Well I didn't think you'd just sit there and sink-"_

" _-of all the stupid things you could've done-"_

" _Luce?" NAtsu called, his voice echoing in the space as she heard him approaching. "Luce! Are you okay?"_

 _She froze, glancing down at her sopping wet attire. Her white top was completely see-through now, save for the logo right across her chest. Her cheeks burned, wrapping her free arm around her chest. "I'm fine! Oh god don't come in here."_

 _His footsteps slowed, but Natsu still sounded unconvinced. "Why? What's wrong?"_

 _Shooting Sting a deadly glare, she cleared her throat. It still felt scratchy after sucking in too much lake water. "I'm fine, okay? We'll be out in a minute. Don't come in here!"_

Lucy _still_ hadn't forgiven Sting for his reckless behavior, having to scold him the entire time she was trying to ring out her hair. He offered to use the heat of his magic to speed up drying her off, but she refused twice before giving in.

She didn't actually want his help, but it couldn't be ignored either. She didn't want to be sopping wet for the rest of the day while she waited for the sun to dry her off.

Besides, not only did he try to drown her, but he'd rather blatantly stared at the see-through top for _way_ too long. She'd kicked him, hating the way he rolled his eyes at her efforts. After that he dried her off despite her protests, telling her she could change while they were back there if she wanted. He wasn't sure if he'd end up drying her top or accidently melting it off.

And then she slept next to the jerk that night, even though he refused to look at anything but the sky the entire time they were laying there. He wouldn't even whisper with her. That was the first time he'd so blatantly ignored her since they got stuck together.

Looking down at the band again, she wondered if Sting had a point after all. They hadn't tried swimming together yesterday, no matter the disaster that turned out to be, and they definitely hadn't tried practicing to fight either.

Honestly, she was a little too weirded out to even attempt it. Feeling Sting's magic surge through her was an experience she wasn't ready for, and the power was quite different from the sensations she got while using her keys. It left her body feeling spent, and the chance that it could happen again at any different moment terrified her.

Glancing at Sting, she wondered if he had similar fears. He'd accidently called out Sagittarius yesterday, the moron almost jumping out of his skin when the spirit appeared. He was going to have to get used to controlling whatever connection they had; Lucy couldn't keep lying to everyone about who was summoning her friends at random times.

Pressing her lips together, she tried to feign interest in what Wendy was talking about. They had a long way to go before they'd ever understand each other's powers.

 **A/n: Kind of a filler chapter, but we need some insight of how traveling between towns goes. The journey in between will become longer as the story goes, but for now nothing super important will go on while traveling. I hope you enjoyed! I felt pretty inspired by this story, and it prompted me to update super early (5 days!). R & R and see you next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

By the time they reached town the following day, Lucy was more than ready to get off her feet and sit down on anything cushy. Her shoulder hurt, and she had a kink from sleeping on the ground beside Sting for the past week. All she wanted to do was relax, and hopefully get a good shower in.

Or better yet, a bath. She wasn't sure she could convince Sting to sit around for that, but she'd give anything for one right about now.

Now, if Sting could learn how to _be quiet_ for a second, she might be able to come up with a plan on how to achieve that.

"What do you mean Dobengal tried to destroy my throne?" Sting screamed, practically coming unglued as he stared into the lacrima. They'd gotten separated from the group earlier when he stopped to take the call, and at least there was no deadline to meet up tonight. They had until tomorrow before meeting with the group again to head out again. "I thought you would keep things under control!"

Minerva sighed, her feelings towards Sting's favorite chair apparent. So far Lucy hadn't noticed any sadness towards the near-destruction of Sting's seat. "I didn't actually let him destroy it. I said he _tried_ to destroy it."

"It's the same thing!"

Lucy grinned, finding Sting's distress somewhat amusing. They'd barely been in town ten minutes before Minerva called, relaying the issues Dobengal caused since they left. It didn't seem like she was having a problem, but listening to Sting slowly lose his mind was definitely worth the detour.

She hadn't seen him this worked up in a couple days, and while he was tense from the implication of Dobengal causing a scene once more, she could see that the lighthearted issue was a nice break from the past week.

"-being handled," he continued, Lucy catching the end of his sentence. "Just make sure he doesn't cause any more issues. I can't come back anytime soon."

"Sting," Minerva chirped, pointedly ignoring Lucy during the conversation, "I think I can handle one little boy. He's just moody, don't worry about it. He's only been at the guild once since you left."

"I guess that's good."

"I'll let you know if he does blow up your chair," she laughed, winking before the message cut out. Sting grumbled something under his breath, glancing towards Lucy when he pocketed it again.

He scowled. "It's not funny."

"Please, it's a little funny," she argued, tugging on his arm. "Come on already! I waited for you to do that lame call; you promised we could go to the room."

Sting smirked, his sour expression melting away. "Does that mean you're hinting at something?"

Rolling her eyes, she began dragging him towards the hotel. He hadn't made any jokes in the last few days, but apparently that was over. "No! I haven't had a proper shower in a week – and don't even _try_ telling me the lake was a real substitute. I want bubbles."

"No way, you are not girling-up my arm with _bubbles_."

Lucy scowled, stopping in her tracks. "I'm not _'girling'_ you up! Come on Sting, you beat me there with the crop top."

"Why you-" he began, only to be cut off when Lucy turned abruptly and started dragging him the other way again.

"No, I don't think so," she whined, shaking her head, "I want a real bath! I need to wash all this filth off of me. Come on already, it's not like we have anything else to do right now."

"Oh, food," Sting agreed, matching her pace, "I can't wait for the buffet!"

Groaning, she shook her head. "I can't believe we picked our hotel all because of a _buffet_."

* * *

In theory, a bath should be easier than a shower. Lucy could bathe while Sting could sit instead of stand, and if things went well they could even talk while she soaked before they had to head downstairs to eat.

They still hadn't gotten to talk about all the things Sting wanted to, but that didn't seem to matter right now.

Things were not going well, and he seriously doubted this bath was a good idea.

"I don't wanna sit on the floor," he pouted, letting Lucy drag him over to the tub. She'd already drawn the water, and was presently preparing to undress. Her hair was pulled up from her face, a few stray strands hanging down.

"I didn't want to go to the buffet in the middle of the afternoon," she argued, glaring up at him, "but I did, and you ate like a pig. Now I'm getting my bath. So yes, you're going to sit on the floor."

Sting rolled his eyes, giving up. He'd known this was coming, but the idea of sitting bored on the floor for an unknown amount of time didn't appeal to him. "Fine, but I'm gonna complain the whole time."

Lucy smirked, making a shooing motion with her hand. Turning his head away he waited patiently for her to undress, ignoring the tugging on his arm as she did so. If he thought about it too much his interest would outweigh his need for self-preservation, and he might chance looking.

He didn't need anyone to explain to him about why that was an awful idea.

Without a word Lucy tugged on his arm, indicating that he should move towards the tub. He obeyed, used to the silent signals by this point. The soft sound of her touching the water and then the base of the tub told him he'd be able to at least sit in a minute, and a few seconds later the shower curtain shifted. "Okay, we can sit now."

Once seated, he stared at the wall blankly. Her fruity bubble bath was incredibly distracting to his senses, and without the sound of running water this was a lot more awkward than when they showered.

Lucy seemed to pick up on that too, almost immediately beginning to talk. "So uh… so, we should be in town for tonight and maybe tomorrow depending on how getting supplies goes."

"Seems that way."

She shifted, pulling his arm a little bit deeper into the tub. Sting's head snapped around to stare at the appendage disappearing behind the curtain, staring at the sheer white fabric separating them. His fingertips grazed the water before he managed to rip his arm back to its prior position. "Don't do that," he growled, attempting to clear his throat.

She stilled, and he wondered if he'd upset her. "What?"

Tearing his eyes away from the curtain, he tried again. "Don't do that; don't pull my arm in there."

"I'm not trying to but I have to reach the soap-"

" _God_ blondie, stop right there." He really didn't need a play-by-play from her right now. Taking a breath her bubble bath assaulted his nose again, and he swallowed hard, banging his head back into the wall.

This was a god-awful idea.

When it grew quiet again, Sting wondered what type of personal hell he'd stumbled into. There was a beautiful, soaking wet girl was on the other side of the shower curtain, trying to explain to him that she was going to cover herself in suds. He figured he must've done something truly repulsive recently to receive a punishment befitting this.

And she acted like she didn't even know what her actions did to him! He was still a guy, he still had basic reactions. But he'd gotten enough threats from enough people, and couldn't possibly imagine even joking with her right now. It would probably shred what little of his self-control remained.

How did he let himself get talked into this? He knew it was a bad idea. Usually he could block out what was going on when they showered, they were a lot faster. But without the sound of running water every little sound was intensified, and he wished anything else would fill the silence.

"Sting?" Lucy asked, slicing through his thoughts again. He glared harder at the wall in front of him, forcing his gaze to remain there.

"What?" he replied, clearing his throat again. He should've brought something in there to do, or at least attempted a nap.

She hesitated, and he wondered why he was being such a dick to her. She wanted a bath instead of a shower, so what? The principles between them didn't change, only now the sound of water didn't distract him and drown out the sounds of her subtle movements. It was a whole lot harder to remain oblivious like this.

"Do you think we'd talk if it wasn't for this?" she asked, giving his arm a shake. "Do you think we would've even met up again?"

Frowning, he looked towards the curtain despite himself. She hadn't brought up anything he'd expected. "I don't know, maybe? We haven't talked a lot before this."

"Exactly," she agreed, shifting around. A bit of the tepid water splashed against his skin, and he arched an eyebrow. It couldn't have gotten cool already. "It's almost laughable that it happened. If Lector didn't slap that bracelet on you, and if Natsu wasn't messing around and put one on me, and we hadn't crossed paths at that moment, this wouldn't have happened. We would've gone on not talking to each other, and I'd probably be on a job right now instead of a mission."

"I could be sitting on my throne," he muttered, glancing disdainfully at the floor. The mat beneath him was painfully unsuccessful at padding the hard surface.

Lucy laughed, her voice echoing in the small space. "You and that throne, I swear."

"A master is supposed to have a throne," he argued, his lips pulling into a frown. "It's sensible."

"Sure it is."

He rolled his eyes, focusing on the wall again. "What does it matter anyway? We're here now, and we're in it for the long haul until we can figure out how to get these off, or at the very least disconnected. Talking about what-if's makes no difference."

"That would make things easier," she agreed, shifting around. Half a second later Sting's nose flared, the onslaught of whatever soap she'd opened assaulting his senses. The bubble bath was strong enough, he didn't need anything else distracting him.

If he kept talking he might be able to draw his attention away from the smell. "Why do you ask?"

Lucy paused what she was doing and shrugged, the action carrying over to his arm, his wrist barely shifting upward. "Just thinking. It's funny how fate works sometimes."

"You think this is fate?"

"I think if it is it's the only reason we are talking now. Without these bracelets, there's no telling how long it would've been before our paths crossed again."

Sting frowned. "I'm sure it wouldn't have taken that long. One way or another you and Yukino would've wanted to see each other again."

"Oh, and you and Natsu wouldn't want to get into another fight?"

"Of course! I'll beat him this time."

Laughing, she replied, "You keep telling yourself that."

They faded into silence, nothing but the sound of gently splashing water filling the air. He really couldn't focus on the wall anymore despite his best efforts, finding the girl behind the shower curtain much too alluring.

Against his better judgment, he spoke again, "the water is lukewarm."

Pausing, he heard her set down something on what had to be a shelf in the shower. "This hotel sucks. I couldn't get it any hotter, and you saw me running the water forever. I finally gave up."

"Isn't a halfway cold bath kind of a letdown?"

Lucy huffed. "That's an understatement."

Biting his lip, he tried and failed to keep from speaking again. "I can warm it up for you."

She froze, even her breathing halting for a moment. Sting knew he was treading dangerous waters after all the not so subtle hints he'd gotten about Lucy's past, but he didn't think that it was that bad of an offer. The heat that radiated from his light magic would heat the water easily, and at least it would make the whole damn experience worth it if one of them was happy.

"That would be okay," she replied, her voice soft. He knew without asking that they were crossing some sort of boundary, he just couldn't quite determine what that boundary was. "Just not too hot. Natsu used to heat the water too much."

Ignoring the way Natsu's name brought a spike of annoyance, Sting shifted and let his fingertips drag across the surface of the water. It didn't take a lot of effort, the liquid immediately beginning to warm.

Lucy let out an audible groan at the difference, and he nearly lost it. Clenching his opposite hand, he was suddenly glad for the curtain separating them. "That's perfect."

Retracting his hand like he'd been slapped, Sting swallowed. "Great."

"If I knew it'd be this good I would've asked before," she continued, sinking further into the water. "It feels amazing."

He resisted the urge to bang his head into the wall. She had to stop doing that.

Clearing his throat, he tried to think of everything imaginable to get his head out of the gutter. "You know, if you'd let me show you how to control some of my magic you could do that yourself. If you can get good at it, it may help keep you warm as we head north."

There was a brief pause, and Sting wondered if she was just going to ignore him again. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. I figured out how to summon Loke-"

"-which was an accident remember-"

"-and I got the scorpion to come out too-"

"- _Scorpio-_ "

"-so I figure I can teach you how to intensify the magic you're putting off," he finished, giving her arm another tug. "And how to channel it. It's probably better if you don't just randomly blast people."

"That was one time," she argued, "and it only happened recently. You called out two separate spirits on our walk to this town! I only blasted one guy."

"Technically it was someone trying to ambush us," he agreed. "I'll give you that one. Still, the white light magic I use is powerful and it generates both heat and light. It would be better if you had some idea of what you are doing just in case something else happens. We're going to have to figure out what to do about it soon."

"Well it would be nice to warm up my own baths whenever I want," she replied, and he could hear the joy in her voice. "So maybe it wouldn't be bad to try it after the bath-"

"-I thought we were going to dinner after your bath," he argued, pouting.

"We just had lunch!"

A grin pulled at one side of Sting's lips. When chaos wasn't going on all around them and he actually got a few moments to really get to know the blonde, he found he actually enjoyed talking to her. She was right, without the bracelet incident they had no specific reasons to cross paths and talk. Maybe – in some twisted, backwards way – this hell was a good thing. Now that he wasn't so angry at Natsu, it was nice getting to know his friends. Lucy was definitely the highlight of that group.

"How do you do it?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts again. "You just channel your magic and sometimes use a special attack, right? It can't be all that different from the magic I use."

"Mine has heat."

Lucy shifted around again. "I don't think that should matter so much. It's the same principle. This shouldn't take so much practice-"

"It'll take a lot of practice," Sting argued, sounding annoyed. "Dragon slayer magic is rare for a reason."

"So is celestial spirit magic," she countered, her tone smug. "I bet you I could learn how to handle your magic faster than you can mine."

Sting perked up at the tone in her voice. "Is that a challenge?"

"You have about as much patience as Natsu," she laughed, her lighthearted tone bouncing off the narrow walls. "You're not going to learn to harness magic the way I do. And you're forgetful! You'll forget to even reach for my keys."

"Please blondie, you're giving me an excuse to play grab ass. Of course I'm going to remember."

She sputtered, and he knew he'd successfully managed to get under her skin. "T-that's not the point! You're never going to remember in a fight to grab for my keys. You're too focused on physical attacks."

"It is kinda part of the dragon slayer magic," he shrugged, feeling her pulling on his arm again. At least while they were talking about this he was distracted again. "I still doubt you'd be able to use my magic."

"I blasted that guy, remember?"

" _One_ guy, and it was an accident."

She scoffed, splashing around behind the curtain. "I could do it again! Obviously I can harness it since I was able to blast him."

"No, you'd reach for your keys. It's instinct. You'd only use my magic by accident."

Lucy huffed, and he could feel her moving her arms around more erratically. "My instinct is to use my keys, but both of us being able to use each other's magic might be extremely helpful for when we finally get north. Otherwise we might be at a disadvantage."

Sting's eyebrows shot up, thinking of his attempt to practice with her and her repeated disagreement to actually try such a thing. He opened his mouth to argue, cutting off when he realized it was getting warmer.

"Are you _practicing_?"

"I'm just heating up the water a little," she replied smugly. "I told you I could get the hang of your magic faster."

"Don't burn yourself," he laughed, shaking his head. "It's not fire like Natsu's magic, but there's still heat with the light. But I thought you didn't want to practice with each other's magic?"

Lucy sighed, and he felt her arm moving again. "I don't know. If it's something we can do while connected it's practical, but I don't think it's something I'm necessarily excited for."

"Even though you just used it to warm the bath?"

"I should get out," she replied, shifting behind the curtain. "It's stupid to heat up a bath twice, even if it did start out cold."

He followed her movements when she stood, pulling the curtain open a hair so their arms had more room. The water was draining out, and in a minute she'd join him again with that stupid fruity soap stinking up the place, but at least she wouldn't be soaking anymore.

Reaching behind him, he grabbed for one of the towels, and moved to toss it to here. "Dry off-"

"Do you think I could do that steaming trick you do?" she asked, the towel hanging in his outstretched arm. "The one you keep using to dry me off?"

"It's just raising your body temperature, same as Natsu. But I wouldn't really suggest that being your first attempt," he cautioned, remembering the first time he tried to expel magic energy from his body and accidently burnt his clothing off.

"It can't be too bad," she argued, ignoring his sentiments. Sting knew Lucy was headstrong, and typically she was known for figuring out problems where she could. But he didn't think challenging herself in the shower was the ideal situation. If anything, that bath relaxed her too much and she was being careless.

Sting's lip twitched, his hand tightening on the outstretched towel. Was she trying to downplay his magic or something? "Lucy-"

She shrieked, jumping back harshly into the side of the shower as the thin curtain separating them burst to life. The white light that emitted off the material moments before it burst into flame from the heat lit up the bathroom in a way the artificial lights could not, and seconds later the burning divider was falling between them.

Dropping the towel, he twisted around to painfully hit the falling material, keeping it away from Lucy's skin as it dissipated with the help of his additional magic. As quickly as it happened it was over, the remains of the shredded, burned curtain falling to the stone floor.

And there was nothing left between them.

Turning, he intended to ask if she was alright but the words died in his throat, finding the very naked mage behind him. Before he really got the chance to appreciate the sight before him she struck out, managing to slap his cheek hard enough to send his head spinning.

"Don't look!"

Sting swore quietly, wondering why this was happening to him. Instead he jerked his head back around, managing to grab the second towel in the process and thrust it into her awaiting hand, keeping his eyes level with hers. "Then don't burn the curtain!"

"I wasn't trying to!"

"You haven't wanted to practice each other's magic for days, and now you think the best time to is in the middle of a god damn bathroom?" he continued, narrowing his eyes. "What is up with you? You've been acting strange for days, and that's saying a lot when I don't even know you that well, blondie."

She managed to wrap the towel around herself, Sting maintaining focus only on her face. When she succeeded she met his gaze again, cheeks a brilliant red. "I'm not acting strange."

He raised an eyebrow, his gaze dropping to her trembling hand clenching the front of the towel. "If we're actually going to try it we should be outside when we do."

Lucy nodded, but the movement was jerky and uneven. She scrambled out of the shower, brushing quickly past Sting. "Come on, I wanna get dressed."

Staying quiet, he let her drag him out. It could've gone drastically different, but she was so off for the majority of the conversation he decided it wasn't a good idea to keep asking questions. He really did want to practice interchanging magic, which would definitely throw off opponents in a battle and they wouldn't need to stand on the sidelines again. It wouldn't do to cower the entire way to the northern city.

Still, her actions weren't making any sense. She'd been strange since they ran into that guy Dan, and he figured he wouldn't be finding out anything else about what happened there unless Lucy felt like sharing. But he knew Dan wasn't in this city, at least not close enough to be a problem. Even if he didn't come close to Lucy, Natsu would know something was wrong if he caught the scent too, and it would be difficult to avoid two dragon slayers.

Hell, if Rogue knew, there would be three.

Turning when she requested, he waited for her to get dressed. There would be time to pick her brain about things, but now wasn't it.

* * *

"You look as bad as I imagined you would."

Sting glanced up when Rogue entered, the shadow dragon slayer finding it funny how perturbed the blond man looked. Lucy was passed out beside him, the blankets thrown haphazardly around her.

Lector sat by her head on one of the extra pillows, fiddling with something Sting must've given him. The exceed stopped by an hour or so ago, letting him know that Rogue intended to come by and talk to him. He planned to talk to both of them, but maybe it was better that she was asleep.

"Do you always lay like that?" he asked, sitting at the cramped desk. Sting rolled his eyes, glancing at the sleeping blonde.

"We take turns," he replied, shrugging. "She fell asleep first, so I figured I would give her arm a break for now."

Rogue nodded knowingly, looking at their position. "And you always end up stuck on top of the blankets?"

Sting sighed. "What do you want Rogue?"

Glancing at the girl once more, he cocked his head to one side. Frosch rested beside him on the desk, eating a cookie he'd gotten the exceed on the way. "Rufus called me earlier when he couldn't reach you two. They found out something else about the bracelets."

"That's the point isn't it?" he scowled, his free arm crossed over his torso. He appeared grumpy, like something hadn't gone his way. Since the group didn't meet for dinner, Rogue imagined the pair had plenty of time to get into some sort of argument.

Shifting on the chair, Rogue met Sting's eyes. "I believe Levy called and told you two about the pair of mages who were shocked by the bracelets, and one of the wearers died? The survivor was overcharged yesterday by the magic conducting through the bracelet and died instantly. They couldn't get the bracelet off and it killed him."

Frowning, Sting sat a little straighter. "So if you get the damn things off you automatically die?"

Rogue shrugged. "That's the story so far. There's another pair who experience intermittent shocks between them when they use too much magic."

"Why shocks?" he asked, glancing at Lucy. "That type of attack wouldn't work on someone who uses any sort of magic that conducts lightning or electricity of any sort. Hell, I use light, it may not even work on me."

"It's just a theory. Using too much magic could cause the bracelets to malfunction. They obviously have their defects." His eyes traveled to the sleeping blonde, his brows slowly pulling together. "No one fitting that description has been affected by the bracelets where the theory can be tested. There's another mage in a different group who uses electrical shocks as part of his magic; he might not be affected. The same could be said for you if your bracelets malfunction too."

Sting's eyes flashed, his one arm clearly tensing. "I wouldn't hurt her on purpose."

"I didn't say you would," Rogue replied, backtracking. "But if you two use too much magic at once it could happen. At least you haven't tried to fry it yet or it could've already happened."

Tilting his head, Sting arched an eyebrow. "Do the others know?"

"Rufus and Levy have worked closely on investigating; if Rufus knows, Levy knows." Clearing his throat, Rogue reached out and gently rubbed the top of Frosch's head. "Since this is a little sensitive, they decided Levy should tell the others. We all found out a little bit ago on our lacrima's, and I was volunteered by Yukino to come tell you. Natsu wanted to come up here and tell you two instead, but we could tell Lucy was asleep from the hallway. He didn't feel the need to be the one to tell you if she isn't up. You'll probably end up telling her later."

Rogue watched Sting's expression immediately sour, slouching down in the bed again. "That's not going to make anything easier."

"What do you mean?"

"How are we supposed to be of any use if we have to limit our magic?" he spat. "That'll make us next to useless in any sort of fight, and I need to use my magic to keep warm as we head north. If Lucy could learn how to maintain it she was going to use it too."

Leaning forward, Rogue's eyebrows drew together. "What?"

He waved a hand. "Never mind, nothing. It's going to be extremely hard to not use magic. We'll have to find a way to work around that."

"Really, you're going to work around something that could get one _or both_ of you killed? You're being rash Sting, even for you."

Lector finally piped in, jumping to Sting's defense. "The great Sting Eucliffe can handle anything!"

"That's not the point," Rogue groaned, shaking his head. "Some chances aren't worth the risk."

Sting hesitated, biting the inside of his cheek. He clearly had more to say but thought better on it, glancing at the girl once more. "Yeah, I guess they aren't."

 **A/n: Well… it's only been a month and a half since the last chapter. Hopefully this one is good enough to make up for the delay! I'm hopeful with the New Year that I'll get more chapters out, but I've been promising that for so many updates now it probably sounds empty. Anyways, happy new year to all!**

 **Also, I want to let all of my readers know I have officially signed with a self-publishing company to help produce my first original novel, which I'm hoping to publish in June 2019 (tentatively). So if you're interested please keep me in mind! My understanding is the book should be available worldwide, so I will be delegating a lot more time to that than anything else. If you're interested in seeing my original work stay tuned and I will keep everyone informed! Until next time.**


	11. Chapter 11

Another week passed. Lucy found the trek to the northern end of Fiore to be exceptionally boring, and recalled why her father rarely ever made the journey while alive.

There wasn't a lot of traffic to run into, and Lucy almost wished they would get attacked again so they had something to do between towns. Sting was moodier than usual the last week – which, by Sting standards, really meant something – and she couldn't figure out what burrowed up his ass last week and put him in such a god awful mood.

It was one thing to travel in poor company. It was another entirely to be trapped with him.

At least he wasn't being a jerk, keeping any comments about their embarrassing bath experience to himself. She half expected the jokes to show up at any moment, but after a few days she realized he wasn't going to poke fun at her.

With how boring things were, she was almost disappointed.

Entering the next town didn't provide the same sense of relief and excitement the previous towns had. She was tired of reading depressing reports about the people stuck together, and even more annoyed that there was nothing of any value in those articles. Levy and the others were stumped for over a week now, and with no new evidence their best bet was to continue north as planned, even if they still had a long time to go.

It wasn't snowing yet, but everyone save Natsu was wearing some type of jacket, even Gray. Things with sleeves were the most cumbersome to put on with Sting, though they'd learned well enough to be patient with one another, especially the dragon slayer. He hadn't offered to help her in or out of her clothes again, and saying she was relieved would be an understatement.

The sooner they got those damn things off, the better.

"I'll get us all some hotel rooms," Erza sighed, feeling as bored and disappointed as the rest of the group. How did people like them end up going on such a _blasé_ adventure was well beyond Lucy. "There's no point meeting to strategize tonight. With the storm moving in we're safer waiting until morning to head out again."

"It's only going to get colder from here," Carla agreed, resting comfortably in Wendy's arms. The girl looked absolutely adorable in her coat, her fingers barren of mittens so far. "Best to save our energy."

"And pack up on supplies," Yukino added, though she sounded about as enthused as the others. "The town is small but I'm sure we can get some of what we need until we hit the next. It should only take a day or two of travel before we get there, depending on the weather."

Gray shrugged, turning to start off towards the nearest hotel. "Great. In that case I'm turning in-"

Lucy gasped when Sting spun, successfully cutting off whatever Gray intended to say. One moment they were peacefully collected off to one side in the road, and the next she was being dragged painfully to one side, something sailing past her head and narrowly missing smacking her. They stumbled to one side before regaining footing, Lucy managing to spin around to see who and what tried to attack them.

Looking off to the side she froze, staring at the handle of a blade embedded in the nearest wall. She assumed Sting must've heard the blade sailing through the air, and from the looks of things the other dragon slayers picked up on the same shifting sound.

Peering around she could see the same murderous looks on each of her teammate's faces, the Sabertooth members included. Surprised, she reached towards the side of her face the blade passed by, touching her hair, ear and cheek to see if there was any damage.

Nothing. No blood, no wayward hairs. Glancing at Sting she could see the anger in his eyes, and noticed the subtle light dancing on his fingers of his left hand.

Everyone had their guards up now, turned outward to face a group of townsfolk that no longer seemed friendly. A man several feet away no longer yielded a weapon, but the moment Lucy's gaze landed on him he started shaking his fingers, taking one hesitant step towards the group before backtracking by two.

"We don't want your kind here!" he sputtered, remaining a safe distance away. He didn't appear to have any magical abilities, and a quick glance at some of the other faces around them showed very few magic wielders. "We don't want those cursed things here!"

The bracelets. They had to be talking about the stupid bracelets, and based on the man's angry stare Lucy couldn't imagine a different scenario. She felt Sting shifting beside her, taking one step to place himself a little bit in front of her. Lucy pushed forward while her left hand reached towards her keys, standing by his shoulders. Glancing up, she glared at him.

There was no reason to act that way. Half the townsfolk didn't seem to have any magic abilities, and this was the first time any town they had entered greeted them hostilely.

They shouldn't even fight these people. One stupid man took one poorly aimed jab at her! Getting into a fight with these people wouldn't do any good.

"What are you talking about?" Erza asked, speaking for the group. "We've only just entered your town hoping for shelter tonight from the approaching storm. We haven't done anything to any of you." She pointed, drawing Lucy's attention. "But you attempted to harm one of our own! No one attacks a Fairy Tail mage!"

Another man, one Lucy couldn't see from her position, made a spitting noise. "Bah! We don't want no trouble. We ain't takin' no fools who put on the devil's bracelets in this town."

Lucy's brows furrowed, taking that in. Devil's bracelets? These people sounded superstitious at best, but this wasn't the type of town she'd peg for believing in myths. The bracelets weren't even old enough to have some sort of bad voodoo attached to them yet.

"You attacked Luce because of some stupid bracelet!?" Natsu seethed, his voice someplace off to the other side of Sting. She was the closest to a building on this side, Gray having moved towards the crowd as soon as people started yelling.

"Natsu calm down," Wendy warned, her voice soft compared to the others.

"No!" he seethed, and immediately Lucy noticed the fire dancing to life not far from her. "We haven't been in this town ten minutes and people are attacking! We didn't do anything to any of you!"

"Berchinni Enterprises put out a warning!" someone else screamed, a woman this time. "Anyone wearing those bracelets is a danger! Anyone wearing one is to be arrested on site."

Glancing towards Sting, she noted the same surprise in his eyes that had to be reflected in hers. They'd heard stories about the bracelets hurting the wearers, but nothing about them being a threat to others.

It could be some form of truth, or Frederick was cracking down on the wizards who got trapped by his bands for some reason. Considering the bands limited power, she had no idea how arresting the wearers could be helpful.

She frowned. Of course, that didn't mean that Berchinni issued the statement. Someone else could be wanting to arrest wearers, from the magic counsel to the royal army. There were a plethora of reasons, and if news just got out Levy and Rufus wouldn't have had time yet to talk to them about it.

Either way, they now had targets on their back, and their bound hands weren't exactly easy to hide.

"Why are they issuing arrests?" Yukino asked, her voice much calmer than Natsu's. "They aren't doing anything illegal by wearing them."

"They're a danger!" another voice screamed.

"They're killing people!" someone else screamed, a mixture of voices taking over. "Those bracelets are ticking time bombs!"

Lucy shook her head as the crowd began to panic, an outcry of voices filling the air. She looked at the people closest to her, two men and a women waving various defensive items. She let go of her keys, holding up her unbound hand. "Please, we aren't dangerous-"

The woman cut her off, tossing a heavy pan her way. Lucy sidestepped it, glancing up when Sting tugged on her arm.

"Stop trying to reason with them," he hissed. "They want to talk to us least of all."

"But we're not going to hurt them," she pressed, upset. "We couldn't. These things will more likely hurt us if we try to fight."

He pressed his lips together, saying nothing. When they left the last town he told her what Rogue relayed about the bracelets shocking one or both of the wearers, and they'd both done their best to avoid using magic since. It was extremely difficult, but they were trying to be safe.

To these people, it didn't matter. Someone went out in the papers, or was whispered by word of mouth, that had the small town sitting on the edge of their seats and ready to attack anyone wearing one of the bracelets.

"Get out!" the voices screamed again, the people around them closing in. Lucy looked at the group, knowing it would be wrong to fight the people who couldn't use magic. They were trying to defend their home, however crooked the notion was. They shouldn't fight when there were so few magic wielders.

The townsfolk also shouldn't be throwing things at them. Glancing at their wrists Lucy knew they had to be the main source of the outcry.

"If they try to fight us we should run," Lucy breathed, just loud enough for Sting to hear. He cocked an eyebrow, remaining quiet as the group advanced. So far no one had tried striking out again, but it was only a matter of time. "We're the reason they are angry. If they start attacking we should leave. We can't really fight anyway."

"I'm not running," Sting seethed. Behind them Lucy heard Erza arguing with people on the other side of the circle, but she didn't want to turn and chance being caught off guard. Magic wielding or not, if they were brazen enough to throw knives she shouldn't risk turning away.

"We can't fight," Lucy reminded quietly. "Let the others handle it. We don't know what will happen if we use our magic."

"Nothing ever happened before," he whispered back, playing with the strap of his bag.

"We shouldn't try our luck now," she hissed, stepping back when one of the men staggered forward. He had something close to a pitchfork in his hand, though the teeth were dulled from overuse. Lucy jumped back, attempting to pull Sting with her when the other man lunged forward too.

Things weren't looking good. They shouldn't have complained about being bored the past week.

"You two need to go," Rogue said from Sting's other side. "We're not going to be able to reason with them. Erza isn't getting through, and Salamander is going to light up the town in a minute."

"Natsu," Lucy chastised, wishing he wouldn't have such a temper. These people might be hostile, but she didn't think she could handle repairing another town right now, even if the cost was split between eight wizards.

"Get out!" the nearest woman screamed again, her eyes wild with hate. "You won't destroy our town you freaks!"

Lucy bit her tongue, deciding that bringing up Natsu's destructive nature right now was in poor taste. Instead she shuddered when a gust of wind blew past, the prospect of spending the night in the cold less than appealing.

Still, she'd rather sleep in peace than be followed all night.

"Go!" Erza screamed, just as the town surged forward. Lucy barely noticed the light off to one side, distracted as she tried to pull Sting out of the way of the approaching pitchfork.

She needn't worry, the dragon slayer reaching out to melt the metal with the heat of his hand. The man gasped and stumbled back, the two other civilians nearby watching with bulged eyes as the weapon was destroyed.

She felt a prickling sensation in her wrist, kind of like static electricity, but didn't pay it any mind. Sting used light and heat, not lightning like Laxus so there shouldn't be a charge. She tugged him towards the nearest alley, hoping he'd listen. "This way!"

Sting groaned but didn't argue, taking off with her down the space. Cold wind whipped at them as they ran, and Lucy cursed the town for trying to chase them out before a cold spell.

"Don't run so fast!" she screamed, their paces uneven as they rounded a corner. At this rate running might prove futile.

"Don't take such small steps!" he argued back, the metal digging into both their wrists. "We need to get out of the way."

"Don't you think I know that?!"

"You sure aren't moving like it!"

Lucy tugged until he finally gave in, matching her pace as they barreled down another alley. She let Sting lead, trusting his dragon senses to not lead them astray. There was a frenzy of noise behind them as they took off, and she could tell the guilt of leaving rested just as heavily in Sting's heart as it did her own.

They were wizards. They weren't supposed to run away from a fight, but this was the second time they'd bolted.

"What were they talking about?" she huffed, jogging with Sting as they put more distance between themselves and the town center. "The arrests?"

"Who fucking knows," he barked back, dragging her down a much smaller street. The town was small but not tiny, big enough to have different streets and crossroads. "And who cares."

Lucy panted, pulling her wrist painfully until Sting let up, certain they had to be out of immediate danger now. She panted but didn't feel winded, the cold breeze suddenly nice against her flushed cheeks. They paused the lean against a nearby wall, the celestial mage rubbing her sore wrist. Her gloves didn't fit beneath the bracelet, and she could feel the rawness of her skin again. With the addition of the cold she hoped she didn't bleed.

Taking several deep breaths, Lucy listened for the sounds of destruction. She could hear fighting several streets over but didn't see buildings burning yet, so the destruction level couldn't be catastrophic yet. She shook her head, glancing both ways down the road. It wouldn't do to be caught a second time.

"What is wrong with these people?" she sighed, glancing towards Sting. They hadn't done much talking the last two days, the boredom of the trip setting in. Now she couldn't imagine not chatting with him, even if they should be off helping their friends.

"Fear," Sting replied, looking around as well. He didn't seem concerned, and Lucy decided they had a few moments to rest before they would need to move again. If everyone in town wanted them gone then they shouldn't just sit waiting for an attack. "Something caused them to think we're dangerous."

"But what?" she asked, shaking her head. It didn't make any sense. Pushing off the wall she glanced at Sting, inclining her head. "Thanks for making sure I didn't get beheaded."

"Not beheaded," he replied, shifting as well. "It would've just cut you."

"Well gee, thanks for making sure I didn't get cut."

"Sure thing."

Rolling her eyes, Lucy started walking again. They hadn't paid much mind to their surroundings, needing to put space between themselves and the fight. She could feel the energy radiating off Sting, matching her own agitation. They would both much rather be in the fray, but it wouldn't make things easier. If anything, everyone would be in more danger.

"I guess we can't stay in this town," she sighed, glancing at the buildings. The town had mostly three story structures, and she could see lights on in the upper stories and people peering out. "They're watching us."

"I think people were when we walked into town too," Sting replied. "Rogue pointed it out right before the attack. Soon as they saw the bands they wanted nothing to do with us."

"But we didn't do anything," she groaned, keeping her ears perked. "We hadn't even gone to the hotel yet."

"Now we won't be," he agreed, his steps faltering. He tilted his head, the sounds behind them growing quiet. "Something happened. They're done fighting for now."

"Is that good?"

He scowled. "It'd be better if we got to fight too."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Be serious. Do you think we'll have to travel tonight?"

"I think that depends on Titania. She does all the negotiating."

Despite herself, Lucy grinned as the sky began to darken. The sun would set soon, and she didn't fancy traveling just before a storm in the dark. "She's persuasive. Maybe she can convince everyone that we aren't a threat."

"Maybe. We don't even know that."

Glancing away, Lucy tried to find something enlightening about his words. It was supposed to be an average, boring day, and they'd been attacked for simply entering a town. Would it be this way the rest of the way north? They still had about a dozen towns in between here and Berchinni's headquarters, and as it got colder she knew they'd have to get room and board. It would make the whole trip harder if they had to start hiding.

Sting froze, stalling Lucy's steps too. He titled his head a little, the sound catching Lucy's ears a second later. "Someone is trying to follow us."

She nodded, the duo glancing over their shoulders together. There was a figure not ten paces behind them, the door to one of the buildings open. It was obviously a woman, her slight appearance silhouetted in the disappearing light. She hung back like she was afraid to approach.

Like everyone else.

"You're bound," she said, her soft voice cutting through the silence. "Like Ana and Lance were."

Lucy frowned, sharing a look with Sting. That information meant nothing to either of them. "Who are they?" she asked.

The woman took a few steps forward, stalling again out of their reach. "They burned."

She felt her skin tingle at those words, her mind going into overdrive. Neither the names nor the statement meant anything to her, but the town obviously had an issue with their presence.

"Who?" Sting asked, cutting through her thoughts. "We've been through four towns since we left Crocus and no one's mentioned anything about people burning."

Lucy thought about what Levy and Rufus had told them, about being shocking each other and partners dying from the bracelets. Maybe that's what the girl meant. "Were Ana and Lance attached like we are?"

The woman nodded, remaining where she was. "Until last week, yes."

She frowned, trying to think of the name of this town. They were in Gemtown right now, and so far as she knew none of the reports came from this place. If anyone in town was bound by the same bracelet as they were it was one of the unreported cases. "What happened to them?" she asked, attempting to turn as far as she could.

Hesitating, it took a few moments for her to respond. "They died."

She knew she should've felt more surprised by the news but didn't, having put the pieces together. "Is that why people want us to leave? Because we have the bracelets?"

The woman nodded, her actions jerky. "Yes. They died because they wore the devil bracelets. They were punished for their magic."

Sting shot her a look, the duo remaining where they were. That definitely didn't sound good. "Punished?"

"Yes," she said, answering him with a vigorous nod. "Berchinni sent the bracelets out to punish magic users. You have too much power. Ana and Lance didn't use caution and she fried him to death." She shook her head, backing away as she pointed. "We killed her. You have to die together."

Lucy felt a chill settle over them, the air around them cooling as her words sank in. It made no sense, and it sounded like the maddened ramblings of people who didn't know what to do. Whatever Ana did that killed Lance, there was no reason for the townsfolk to kill her too. "W-why would you do that?"

"The bracelets control you," she said, approaching again. Lucy backed up, dragging Sting with her. "You're joined now as one. You have to live or die together."

"Why?" Sting snapped, cutting in. "That doesn't make any sense. No one is punished for using magic, and we definitely don't have to live or die together just because these stupid bands keep us connected."

"Sting," Lucy warned, tugging on his arm.

"You'll be punished," the woman cautioned, shaking her head. "My Ana was, the bracelet chose her. You'll be punished too."

"You're mad," he snapped, shaking his head. "This whole town is. You're mad because something happened to them that you couldn't control."

"They had to be punished," she reasoned, holding out a hand. "Like you two. Berchinni will make sure that you pay for your transgressions."

Lucy jerked towards him when she saw the light, clamping her hand on his left wrist. "No magic!"

"That's how it'll happen," the woman called, laughing. "One of you will kill the other, and you alone will shoulder the blame. Those who cared for your partner will kill you for revenge."

The light in Sting's hand faded, as did the heat. Lucy met his gaze, his eyes just as troubled as his own. He cleared his throat before speaking, his eyes remaining locked on hers, "We aren't going to kill each other."

"We'll get the bracelets off," she agreed.

"Lies! All lies! They will arrest you, take you away, and punish you!"

Lucy took a step back, dragging Sting with her. Arguing with this woman would do no good. She sounded nuts, just like the rest of the town. There was no reason to debate with someone whose mind had gone. Ana was important in this woman's life, and the end of her life appeared to also end her sanity.

"We need to go," she hissed, attempted to turn him the other way. "Just hide. We won't be able to stay in this town."

"Yeah," he argued, shifting with her. They had never turned fully around, and it was easy to shift away from the insane woman. "Probably better too. I'd rather not stay someplace everyone is trying to kill me."

"Us," she sighed, clenching her jacket as the wind picked up again. The woman screamed something that she tuned out, knowing listening would do nothing for them. "Let's go."

* * *

It took time, a lot more than Sting cared for, for the group to meet up on the opposite end of town. It was fairly disappointing to stare off into the distance and note the obvious destruction, the light sheen of sweat on everyone else's skin, the heavy, satisfied breathing from a battle that neither of them got to be a part of.

Instead, they got lectured by some half-crazy lady with a punishment problem. You can't punish someone, arrest them, want them to die, and be trying to control magic all in one fell swoop. Berchinni's intentions were becoming more and more scattered, and he couldn't fathom who decided to add in all this extra crap to the possibilities.

Now, instead of getting to rest in a bed, they had at least another day or two before reaching the next town, and who knew if they could simply pass through again? What if every town from here to the north end hated them? They'd have to get creative with booking hotel rooms, and it would all take a lot of extra time and energy.

"Finding a cave large enough to house all of us will be difficult," Rogue pointed out, diving right into the biggest problem facing them. "And it's dark. If it starts to snow we'll be in danger out in the elements. Most of us aren't' equipped to handle extreme weather like that."

Sting glanced at Lucy, aware that his light magic could probably provide warmth enough for both of them. But he was banned from using magic until they were certain it wouldn't cause harm to either of them, and he'd almost slipped up twice. She was definitely the more rational of the two, but if they got stuck outside in the frozen elements they'd have to start taking dangerous chances.

And no one would be open to the option.

"It's going to get cold," Wendy agreed, sniffing the air. "But I don't think it'll snow tonight anyway. If we book it to the next town we'll have shelter before the storm."

"But how do we get into a town that doesn't want us?" Gray asked, his eyes looking over the group. "It's not like you guys can hide that bracelet in plain sight. We'd have to get creative to sneak you in."

"It'll look funny if you're clinging to each other all the time," Erza agreed, rubbing her chin. A breeze blew past, and a large portion of the group grasped at the collars of their jackets for warmth. Lucy unconsciously scooted closer, and Sting found that he didn't mind.

Glancing to his right, he noted Natsu watching them. She'd probably sought warmth from him too many times to count in the past, and Sting wasn't sure how he'd react to the girl's close proximity as they continued on. He had no idea if this was making him jealous or not.

"We need shelter if we aren't staying in town," Lucy reasoned, pointing with her hand. "Those buildings over there, they look abandoned but they are better than nothing."

The others nodded, their grim circumstances taking some of the joy out their expressions. The night was already gloomy, and the rushing, frigid wind would do nothing to lighten their spirits.

Sting scowled, glaring at the structures ahead of them. It was going to be a long night, and he didn't even want to think about what awaited them in the towns ahead.

 **A/n: I thought this story needed something to spice up the monotonous travel between towns that was getting a little dreary, so we'll see how this plays out. Let me know what you think, I'm a little perturbed with myself on how I want to move forward, and I'm feeling stuck. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

They moved quickly after leaving the city, the abrasive wind a huge motivation to hunker down in the buildings up the hill. Sting found he moved a lot faster as they left than when they arrived, the foul experience leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

He'd move faster and probably be up there by now if he wasn't being pulled back by Lucy. She kept tugging his wrist, dragging until he walked at the back of the group with her, her teeth chattering against the wind.

"Don't you want to get warm?" he snapped, ignoring the way she pulled back at his tone. "We can talk when we get there."

She shook her head, not giving in. "Did you listen to anything that lady said?"

"The batty one?" he grumbled, guiding her along as they walked. The path was uneven, and as they climbed the hill the wind became that much more of a pain. He knew he wasn't supposed to use his magic on the off chance they shocked themselves, but a dusting of light as night set in couldn't hurt. Better that than tripping back down the mountain.

"Who are Ana and Lance?" she asked, following the path he lit up. "Why was she so insistent that we would end up like them?"

"Who the hell knows."

"And Ana was someone important to her," she continued, hopping up the uneven ground. "Whoever she was, she sounded tormented by what happened."

"She's upset like the rest of the damn town," Sting snapped, stepping in front of her as they climbed. "You're thinking too much, blondie. They're angry about what happened, and the threats come from Berchinni… or whatever."

She shot him a look. "Did you even listen?"

"A little."

Rolling her eyes, she grew quiet the rest of the way up. Sting wanted to say he was relieved, but he got the feeling she was playing the conversation over in her head again. He could care less about what some old lady said to them in an angry town.

Glancing back the way they'd come, he noted that the scent from before was gone. He hadn't caught wind of it in over a week, since just outside the last town, but he found even that didn't do much to comfort him. Thinking back to last week, he wasn't sure much could.

 _Sting froze, glancing over his shoulder as the town faded in the distance. They hadn't been walking long, the surprisingly warm day lifting everyone's spirits enough that they set out early._

 _He narrowed his eyes, scanning the scene behind him. Natsu froze up as well, Wendy following suit. Even she seemed to recognize the scent, her eyes widening as they flew to Lucy._

 _Dan._

 _They didn't say anything, Natsu making up some sort of excuse he didn't hear. But he could smell the sudden rage emitting off the fire dragon slayer, and the mixture of surprise and panic dancing off of Wendy. Rogue seemed indifferent, glancing between the trio as he tried to figure out what was going on. Everyone else stood quietly, waiting for some sort of explanation._

 _His eyes slid sideways to Lucy, who was none the wiser at the moment. Why cause a panic when there was little to no chance the moron would approach the group, much less be brazen enough to try anything? The scent was off in the distance, barely enough to pick up._

 _If Dan Straight was in the area, he wasn't close. There was a possibility that this was all happenstance, but not a good one. Meeting Natsu's eyes briefly, he caught the ferocious look there._

 _Sting hadn't forgotten their agreement. He was supposed to keep Lucy away from that guy, and a difference in towns didn't change that. Giving Lucy's arm a tug he turned and started off again, his eyes glancing past Yukino and Erza towards the front._

 _If Natsu didn't say anything, there was no way he would._

That was a week ago. He hadn't caught Dan Straight's scent since, and he hadn't spoken to Natsu about it either. There was no reason to if they hadn't picked up on the smell again, and he wasn't about to tell Lucy the weirdo might be following their little group.

It did put him in a rather irritable mood, however. He wasn't supposed to use magic, at least for the time being, so he had no real way to burn off some steam. Hand to hand combat was really out of the question, and other than walking the only real physical exercise he got in the last week was getting kicked by Lucy in the middle of the night.

He could probably just tell her and get it over with, but last time she fell into a frenzy before withdrawing into herself. Traveling between towns did not make for the ideal situation to tell her an old – and obviously undesirable – flame might be following her.

No, he should just continue being moody like a god damn girl. It was probably a lot easier that way.

Not to mention that Natsu might come unhinged if he brought it up. There was a protective streak between the two that he wouldn't dare touch.

Glancing at her as they walked, he felt an odd feeling blossom in his chest. For some reason, he was beginning to feel protective of her as well. Try as he might she wasn't someone he could ignore, not when they were stuck together all hours of the day. He'd seen pieces of her that under different circumstances he wouldn't be privy to.

He'd seen her break down on more than enough occasions by now, and realized there were a lot more layers to Lucy than she let on. Whatever happened between her and Dan, he didn't want to hear about it happening again. Whether they were stuck together or not the next time she ran into him, he hoped he could help in some way.

When they were alone, there was a sadness about her he didn't expect. He hoped overtime it would fade, and she'd stop seeming so afraid. Whatever happened, it really screwed her up.

"Are you listening?" she asked, drawing his attention as they reached the top.

"No, sorry," he admitted, leaning back when she tried to flick him. "What were you saying?"

"Nothing," she muttered, rolling her eyes in the dim light. "Let's just meet up with the others."

He didn't argue, going through the motions with her of dinner and getting ready to sleep. The wind was frigid tonight, fighting their fire the entire time. Thankfully Natsu's flames seemed to be able to withstand anything, and after he'd had his fill of the fire he added his magic in, which at least helped keep it lit.

It didn't help the chill. He could tell it was getting cold, watching the girl's bundle up. Rogue threw on a heavier jacket, and Sting buttoned his for once. He noticed that Gray and Natsu seemed indifferent about the weather, and yet Lucy still managed to shiver.

He didn't dare offer to keep her warm again. He wasn't in the mood for jokes today.

"It's gonna get colder the further north we go," Lucy muttered, pausing beside Sting. Tonight Gray was closer to her than Natsu, something that hadn't happened since they originally set out. The pinkette himself had wandered towards the edge of their group, looking out over the hill they'd climbed recently.

"Yeah, and windier," Sting agreed, slipping into the sleeping bag first. Typically Lucy slept on the side with the zipper, which really provided her the only escape from the cramped space.

She nodded, glancing around at the half-destroyed walls. They helped to control the wind, but did little for the warmth. Even with the fire going, the cold weather could be felt in everyone's bones. "We'll see snow soon."

Sting didn't say anything, waiting for her to get in the bag with him. She hesitated as another breeze blew through, causing her to reach for the neckline of her jacket, tugging her closer.

It would've been really nice to sleep in a damn hotel.

After another moment she followed him into the double sleeping bag, zipping the side closed as another breeze blew through their camp. Most everyone called it quits early, and Sting was surprised to see that no one pitched a tent. It was cumbersome to do so, but anything to fight off the cold was helpful. They'd all have to sleep separately, but it had to be better than freezing.

Glancing up, he noted that Natsu had disappeared completely with Happy, off brooding about whatever was going on in his head. It could be Dan, the town, or a combination of the two. Whatever it was, he'd been just as moody as Sting himself the past week.

"It's freezing," she muttered, burrowing herself as deeply into the bag as she could. "I'm really not looking forward to the weather getting colder."

"Winter's a bitch," Sting replied, closing his eyes. He always tried to sleep on his back whenever they were outside. It was really the only way to keep away from her. Laying on either side would force her closer, and he didn't want her thinking he was pulling her into him.

Besides, he didn't need the fury of everyone else raining down on his head.

Lucy surprised him, causing his head to whip to the side when she shifted closer. One of her hands tentatively touched his arm, like she was afraid to do so. After a moment of silence she expelled whatever breath she'd been holding, sounding irritated.

"You're annoyingly warm."

He cracked a grin. "Did you always tell Natsu that too?"

She rolled her eyes, her iris's dancing in the firelight. "Natsu is on fire, literally. I never asked him to heat me up, not anymore. I've had one too many ridiculous problems with him almost burning my clothes off."

Sting quirked an eyebrow, wondering if Salamander was listening in. "Did that happen a lot?"

"You'd be surprised."

He decided to not ask, his attention focused on her hand. They didn't spend a lot of time reaching out to one another, not when they were so very close. "You're cold."

"Well, yeah," she agreed, surprising him again when she rolled onto her side, facing him. Her bound hand rested on his arm, the cool chain touching his skin. The metal was absolutely frigid, and with the band neither could wear a glove on their right arm. He knew she was wearing one on her left, but the digits holding onto his skin were quite a bit colder than his own.

"How the hell are you going to survive without gloves?" he asked, his opposite hand coming to rest over hers. She stiffened but didn't pull back. "You're fingers are gonna fall off."

"I'm not sure," she admitted, shifting just a little bit closer. Sting watched her, trying to gauge what exactly she was trying to do. "I'll have to come up with something. Maybe I can buy some gloves that stop above the bracelet."

That seemed reasonable enough, but he didn't get a chance to comment. One moment she was holding his arm, the next she had shifted closer still, resting her head tentatively against his shoulder.

He jerked up, eyes going wide. "What are you doing?" he hissed, whipping his head to check the group. Everyone was either asleep or none the wiser, and he hadn't seen Natsu return. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

Lucy frowned. "Who's going to kill you?"

"Uh, everyone?!"

She bit her lip, taking in the scene around them. "They aren't going to kill you. Come on Sting, I just wanna warm up a little before I sleep."

He didn't back down, already thinking of the dozens of ways this would backfire. "How are you gonna survive the rest of this trip north if you can't handle the weather now?"

Pouting, she dropped her gaze. "I'm not asking you to use magic. You're naturally warm, like Natsu."

"Right, and if he sees you this close to me-"

"I'm gonna move," she defended, blushing. "I – I didn't want to sleep like that! I just wanna warm up a little before bed, that's all."

He decided to forgo making a joke out of her words, knowing he couldn't handle getting kicked anymore. Hesitantly he shifted back to where he was, watching her with wide eyes as he laid down once more. "If your friends try to kill me you had better be on my side."

"Sure."

He stayed very still when she returned to her original spot, refusing to look down at her head. This felt too weird, verging into territory that was dangerous to cross. She held onto his arm, afraid to let go and equally afraid to move closer. He stared straight up at the ceiling, wondering what kind of special hell he'd gotten himself into.

Seriously, how could she be comfortable? Cold or not, she'd told him on more than one occasion to give her space. This was the exact opposite of that, and he didn't know if he should bring that up or not.

They stayed that way for some time, and it wasn't long before Sting caught the sounds of her breathing deepening, her grip having gone slack on his arm.

"She seems comfortable," Rogue muttered, startling his partner. Sting spun his head the other way, peering over his opposite shoulder. "Do that often?"

Sting scowled. "You know I don't."

"Mhmm," he replied, rolling his eyes. "She looks cozy."

"She's cold."

Rogue arched an eyebrow, glancing at his other side. Yukino was cuddled up with both of their exceeds, her hood pulled up as she slumbered. "So is she, but she isn't cuddling anyone."

"You're not warm man," he joked. "I've touched your hands before. Can you say clammy?"

Undeterred, the shadow dragon slayer sat up in his sleeping back, eyeing the group. "Don't you think Natsu will come unhinged when he sees you like that?"

"That's what I said!"

Clicking his tongue, Rogue shook his head in disappointment. "It was nice knowing you."

"Don't say that!" he hissed, eyes widening. "I do not want to die bound to blondie!"

"It would be unfortunate," he agreed, readjusting in his own makeshift bed. "Though I suppose they could cut your hand off so Lucy doesn't have to stand by your grave for the rest of her life."

"That is so not funny!"

Rogue chuckled but didn't say anything else, rolling over the other way. Sting stared at his back another moment before turning his face towards the ceiling again.

Maybe Natsu wanted to sleep outside in the godawful wind tonight. There was a slim chance after all that he wouldn't have to deal with his rage when he came back in. Shifting Lucy would be hard enough without the chain, and he wouldn't dare try it now. With his luck everyone would wake up to the sound of jingling chains.

Several minutes later Sting caught the sound of footsteps, and braced himself for annihilation. He stared at the ceiling, deciding the last thing he wanted to see was the decrepid roof over Natsu's angry eyes. The footsteps paused when they reached the group, and he waited with bated breath for the attack. Surely Happy would pull Lucy out of the way in time.

After what felt like an eternity the steps shifted to the opposite side of the circle, Sting's eyes going wide when he realized Natsu didn't intend to cook him alive. He continued to lay still even as he heard the sound of rustling, like he was getting into his own sleeping bag.

"Be nice to her Sting," he said, his voice cutting through the silence. "Don't make me have to hurt you too."

His eyes shot wide, and he nearly sat up to face the fire dragon slayer until he remembered that Lucy's head rested against him, and he remained still, unsure what to do next. Several moments passed before he mustered the courage to say anything else, deciding to be honest.

"I won't."

* * *

The next town, thankfully, only took a day to get to. It was bitter cold, and Lucy desperately wished getting into warmer garb wasn't so cumbersome, but the speed with which they traveled kept them warm. Everyone agreed to keep moving as quickly as they could, their sights set on hotels after spending more than a week sleeping outdoors.

She kept pace with Sting, although she had yet to be able to meet his eyes. Last night she knew she crossed her own boundaries, but he was so invitingly warm she couldn't help herself. He hadn't done anything bad to her, so she didn't see any harm in laying closer.

Only, she ended up a whole lot closer than she originally intended. Cuddling Sting wasn't part of the plan, although his natural heat kept her comfortably warm.

She'd woken up before everyone this morning, noting the lack of heat when she'd rolled away. She didn't need anyone to remind her what happened last night, she was well aware of it.

Still, she couldn't imagine meeting his eyes right now. After she'd rolled over and lost the warmth she'd actually moved to press her back into his side, needing the added heat to keep her from shivering.

Lucy blushed at the memory. Other than Natsu's nightly shenanigans, she'd never slept so intimately with a person, much less one who seemed constantly afraid of being burned to a crisp.

"What happens if we get there and the people are hostile again?" Yukino asked, drawing everyone's attention as the city came into view. "Are we going to skip this one too?"

Erza pulled out a map, letting Wendy assist her as the wind picked up. "We'll have to take a train after this, there's too much terrain between towns and with the weather getting worse we can't risk getting stuck in a blizzard. It's almost dinnertime now. The trains won't run again until morning."

"And it's bound to snow tonight," Gray agreed, glancing at the white clouds above.

"And I don't wanna sleep in the cold again," Wendy agreed, hugging Carla's shivering form to her.

"Then what do we do about you two?" Rogue sighed, eyeing them. "If we can sneak you into the city then it shouldn't be a problem."

"And how exactly do we do that?" Sting asked, rolling his eyes. "Unless you've got some way to cover the bracelets-"

"Actually," Erza interrupted, eyeing the two mischievously. Lucy tensed, taking in the evil glint in her eyes. Beside her Natsu and Happy took a step back, looking moderately terrified. "I have an idea."

* * *

Even though it was a rather uncomfortable idea, it wasn't a bad one at all. Waiting to see if intel could find out if Lucy and Sting could enter the city would take too long, and it was already pretty dark outside.

They walked beside Rogue as the group wandered through town, Sting's arm thrown across Lucy's shoulders. Her right hand could still twist around with the bracelet, and she clasped his hand like a lover would, keeping her arm drawn up near her face.

Of course, it wasn't actually a romantic gesture. Lucy's scarf covered the bracelets controlling them, and to the people around them it appeared like nothing more than a couple strolling together.

It was definitely better than waiting around in the wind for her friends to snoop for information. Not only that, but it gave her unlimited access to Sting's warmth, which kept his coat and hands warmer than her own skin.

As awkward as it was, Lucy wasn't about to complain. Erza's idea was indeed a good one.

"I hope I can eat with one arm," Sting grumbled, glancing her way. "How am I supposed to eat dinner?"

"There is a thing called room service," she laughed, clamping her mouth shut a moment later when a cold gust blew by. "And then I can take my bath."

" _No_ ," he stressed, his mind probably going back to the last time she tried that, "no baths. Take a shower."

Lucy pouted but didn't argue, the group wandering along until they hit a spread of hotels. As Erza debated with Rogue of all people about the most suitable building to bunker down in for the night Sting shifted to lean against a nearby shop, dragging Lucy with him.

"Is Rogue always particular about where you guys stay?" she asked, peering at the hotels. This had to be the nicer part of town, and though she knew the goal wasn't to waste precious amounts of jewel on unneeded amenities, she wasn't certain that a view of the terrain was necessary. They were taking a train for a reason.

"It depends. Sometimes Rogue just gets this feeling and refuses to sleep in certain places. Can't really explain it, but it happens."

"Right," she replied, shivering. "I get that way when I go on jobs with Natsu and he never wants to stay at a hotel."

"Actually, that's not very surprising."

Lucy opened her mouth to retort, the words dying on her lips when she noticed the way his eyes suddenly narrowed, his head tilting to the side. Instinctively she peered over her shoulder as well, spotting a few people behind them but no one she recognized.

"What is it?" she asked, dropping her voice. She could see that Rogue had quieted his argument with Erza, and Natsu and Wendy seemed to be peering curiously around them as well. The pinkette shifted forward, placing a hand protectively on the young dragon slayers shoulder as his eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"

"Something smells strange," Sting breathed, the slayers continuing to glance around. Lucy tried to follow the path their eyes took but simply couldn't, wondering what could catch all of them off guard. She watched Rogue grab Yukino's hand, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

"I'm sure that hotel is fine," Rogue said, cutting through the silence that settled over them. "Let's just get inside."

Lucy couldn't agree more, feeling Sting press her a bit closer into his side as they walked. She didn't feel better until they entered the hotel, the heat in the vicinity drawing her attention from whatever happened outside.

"Room service is a good idea," Sting said as they made their way towards the counter, tugging at the collar of his jacket. "It's stifling in here."

"It's nice," she argued, pausing beside a stack of newspapers. Once caught her eye, mentioning bracelets, and she immediately picked it up and paid.

"We need a room," he groaned, dragging her away from the papers as she folded it into her chest. "Your scarf is way too much."

"It's not my fault you're going to melt," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "We'll change when we get upstairs."

He shot her a look, seeming pained. "We better."

* * *

Once they got the scarf and winter garb off Lucy set up shop, dragging Sting onto the bed so she could read once he'd ordered room service. It was a pain to pay extra, but if it meant they didn't have to conceal the bracelets it was well worth it.

"I think that position cramped my arm," she complained, rubbing her elbow. "It's hard to walk like that for an hour."

"Yeah it is," he agreed, peering over her shoulder at the paper. "What is that anyway?"

She tapped the front page, giving him a look. "We'll probably hear from Levy and Rufus soon. Looks like the bracelets made the news again."

Sting peered over her shoulder as she opened to the correct page, his breath on her neck incredibly distracting as she found the correct paragraph. Skimming the contents, she tried to only take in the parts that sounded relevant.

 _Locals are advised to steer clear of anyone wearing Berchinni Enterprise's Magic Control Bracelets. All wizards wearing the bracelets are under magic supervision of the company and the magic council, and are presently under evaluation._

 _All wearers are asked to head to the company headquarters for assistance with the bracelets. The product is found to malfunction and must be removed by a company supervisor. The use of magic is strongly advised against while wearing the bands, as the residual magic compressors will backfire if overexerted. There are several reported instances of people who have died from failing to use caution._

 _The company apologizes for what has happened. The government in the north only wanted to help control wizards who act unruly and out of control. The products were not meant for mass production._

 _If you see someone wearing one of these bracelets, do not approach. They are a danger to themselves and others until removed. Use extreme caution when engaging these individuals._

Lucy stopped reading when Sting pulled away, glancing at the anger in his eyes. "Nice for the company to take credit for this bullshit."

"I don't know if he ever wanted to hide it," she admitted, scanning the rest of the page. There were several pictures of the bracelets at the bottom, detailing what to watch out for. "This paper is three days old. No wonder everyone in the last town was so scared of us."

"Little convenient that they are telling everyone where to go," Sting snapped. "It's gotta be a trap."

"I agree, but what purpose do they have? There's no way they are volunteering to take bracelets off, and I seriously doubt that they just let all this information slip to the media."

"It's a set up," Sting agreed, nodding. "It doesn't make sense though. Why make the company look bad?"

Lucy shrugged, at a loss. "From what I remember of Frederick, he's too proud to let himself be bested. I think there's truth and lies in here, but it's impossible to tell it apart right now. Maybe it's time to call Levy and Rufus? They may not know about this yet if the articles haven't gotten to the southern end of Fiore yet."

Sting nodded, pulling a lacrima out of his pocket. "You wanna do the honors?"

 **A/n: I tried to get a mixture of things in here, so hopefully it flowed alright. I do intend to update my other Sting-Lucy story, I'm just a little stuck to everyone who reads both. Thanks for reading and if you feel inclined let me know what you thought!**


	13. Chapter 13

Lucy set the lacrima down, unsettled by what Rufus and Levy relayed. They hadn't quite yet come across Ana and Lance's tragic story in the papers, but they were able to confirm the pair was listed among the twenty-four couples already known to be trapped by the bracelets. Their abrupt death was news to the two researchers, who seemed refueled by the knowledge to continue searching tenfold.

It didn't make her feel better. Someone died because of these bracelets – far more than one person – and they were in eminent danger until the bands came off.

Problem was, they still had no ideas how to do that. Things were only getting worse the further north they traveled, and she could feel the tension among the group. Now that people were afraid of them, it made it harder to move between towns.

They were supposed to get on a train after this town, and the ride would last three days. She couldn't imagine the ride being easy on the dragon slayers, but with the weather worsening and the townsfolk turning hostile the more Berchinni decided to promote his magical repressing disaster, the more cumbersome travel would be.

The only benefit? Once they got off the train they would be in Northcrest. After that, weather permitting, they only had one more city to walk to before they would be in Berchinni's field.

Lucy gulped just thinking about it. They still had no idea how exactly they planned on breaking in and getting Berchinni to confess to what was going on, and she didn't think they could plan until they got there and saw the layout of the place. She vaguely remembered bits and pieces of his mansion, but she usually only visited for business and galas, and she hadn't seen much else.

That was years ago. Things could be very different now.

Glancing at Sting, she found he hadn't wasted a second going to town on the room service they ordered earlier, and his meal was half gone when she checked again. Chilling knowledge or not, nothing stopped his appetite.

"Ready to get on the train tomorrow?" she asked, feigning a smile. Sitting with Sting for three freaking days sounded truly horrible, and she'd never been able to convince Natsu to go on a train ride for logner than a day. By taking this train they would significantly cut down on their travel time, and she was grateful to escape the frigid weather for a while. Since she couldn't attempt to use Sting's magic again, much less her own, she knew she'd freeze on the trip up there.

After Northcrest, they would head to Wintergreen, one of the most northern cities in Fiore. Berchinni resided there, and she knew they couldn't take a train between towns. The tracks iced up too easily. The only way was on foot – sometimes by sleigh – but to get everyone on the same sled would be difficult, and the rides were quite expensive. Although difficult, unless the weather was impossible it would be easier to walk for the day.

She just wasn't looking forward to it.

Sting shrugged at her question, the color already fading from his face. "You better be nice to me, blondie. I hate trains."

"I know," she sighed, smiling slightly. If it were just the two of them they might be doing things differently, but she couldn't imagine everyone moving quickly enough as a unit to make the trip walking. She barely managed to keep from shivering, and she was constantly near Sting's natural heat. Some of the others might not do quite as well in the elements, and she knew she was doing a poor job herself.

She laid back on the bed, Sting's arm following along with her. Her opposite hand traced the keys on her hip, thoughtfully staring at the ceiling. "What to do you think we're going to do when we see Berchinni?"

"Kick his ass."

She lifted her head, glaring at him. "Be serious! We can barely manage to walk around. What are we supposed to do if we have to defend ourselves? We aren't supposed to even use our magic."

Sting scoffed, holding up his opposite hand. The room grew brighter as the white light in his hand glowed, cocking an eyebrow. "It's all about control."

Lucy's eyes widened, sitting up stiffly. "You don't have any!"

Frowning, he twirled his hand back and forth, letting the magic remain. "The only reason we stopped trying to learn how to use one another's magic is because Rogue told us about all the bad shit happening."

"There's a lot of that going on," she reasoned, narrowing her eyes. "We haven't even heard back from Levy and Rufus yet. They are looking into Ana and Lance's story. Something else could've killed them."

Sting rolled his eyes, letting the light fade from his fingers. "The only reason those other people died is because they refused to learn how to control each other's magic. Think about it. If you could actually learn to manage mine, then getting shocked if our powers backfire shouldn't hurt you. My powers use heat and electricity to an extent, so if you can use it too then the danger should be gone, right?"

Biting her lip, she hesitated answering. They'd been careful over the past weeks to not use their magic, much less try again since that horrific accident in the shower, and now he wanted to learn how to use one another's all over again? It sounded awful, and she couldn't imagine that it would end well.

"No," she said, lifting her chin. "There's too much of a risk. We don't need to chance anything."

He looked unconvinced, tilting his head to one side. "You're the one that thinks we are going to be useless when we get to Wintergreen. Just practice with me a little. We haven't tried dueling or anything else since this happened."

"We got into a fight once," Lucy defended, recalling the one time Sting's magic shot through her fingertips. It brought a warmth with it that her magic didn't, every cell in her body charged by the act.

"Badly," he grumbled, remembering how startled she looked. "Besides, I bet I can call out any of your spirits whenever I want."

Lucy's eyebrows shot up, instantly annoyed. "It's not that easy!"

Sting smirked, snatching the key ring out of her hand. He immediately grabbed one of the golden keys, recalling the phrase he'd heard both Lucy and Yukino mutter too many times to count.

"Now open, gate of the…" he paused mid-sentence, staring at the key before him. He didn't know a lot about zodiac symbols, and looking at it now he really had no idea which key he was holding. It had two faces at the top, and something that looked like a capital 'I' with two lines. "Um… Leo the Tiger?"

Horrified, she snatched the key away from him, holding it tight to her chest. "This is Gemini!"

She held the key tightly in her hand, willing the spirit to stay put. She adored Gemini, but they tended to know everything once they transformed into someone. And she really didn't want the pair transforming into either of them. It was difficult enough being attached to Sting this way, and she was afraid of what the spirit might say if they transformed, especially since their favorite pastime seemed to be transforming into a near-naked version of herself.

He tilted his head, studying her briefly before throwing up his hands. "Guess we'll never know now."

Lucy sighed, shoving her keys onto the nightstand beside them. She didn't know why, but having Sting try and use her keys felt wrong. Being able to use each other's magic might be good, but she had a relationship and a friendship with each and every one of her spirits. He didn't. He couldn't just willy-nilly swoop in and start opening gates.

There was a level of trust between all of them. Letting Sting run wild and open any gate he wanted felt wrong. Whether he could or not wasn't the point. She didn't want him to be able to do such things without understanding her spirits first. Their relationship was built on trust.

"I'm going to sleep," she grumbled, pushing her shower off until tomorrow. They didn't have to be to the train station until late afternoon, and she intended to get some proper sleep before she spent three days with a nauseous dragon slayer stuck to her arm. Sting said something but she cut him off, holding up a hand as she pressed the lacrima into her chest.

She didn't want to talk to him. Sting couldn't learn her magic so flippantly, he just couldn't. She cared for her spirits more than he understood, and letting him into that part of her life wasn't something she was willing to do. In a week or two hopefully the bracelets would be gone, and they could put this whole nightmare behind them.

* * *

Sting glared at his lacrima, listening to Lucy's soft snores as the screen winked out. Talking with Minerva wasn't ever pleasant, and he was certain the whole guild would be burnt down before he got back there. Dobengal seemed to be doing everything he could to upset the guild life he'd worked to create, and even the stern authority of milady couldn't withstand the doubt he put into the guild members minds.

This was a formative time. He'd only been the guild master for a little while, and everyone was still adjusting since the overthrow of Jiemma. He needed to get back and continue helping everyone out, and he couldn't do that until the damn bracelets were gone.

There was nothing he could do for now, and he was beginning to feel hopeless. Would there be a guild to return to when he was done here, or would Sabertooth be in disarray?

Setting the lacrima down on the table beside him, he glanced towards Lucy's sleeping form. He could tell she was bothered earlier when he messed with her keys, but he didn't get why. Whatever relationship she had with them was fine and dandy, and all he wanted was to show her that they needed to work together and learn from each other's magic.

Lucy said they were getting close to where Berchinni lived. After this horrible train ride they'd be close. He refused to go into a fight without some way to participate.

She twitched in her sleep, something she'd been doing for the last twenty minutes, though he'd ignored it while talking to Minerva. Now he focused his attention on her, his eyes able to pick up on her pinched features in the dark. She typically kept herself turned away from him in the night, but this time she was faced in his direction, one hand tightening on the pillow beneath her head.

He could smell the fear on her, beginning to take over. Whatever she was dreaming about had to be some type of nightmare, though he wasn't sure if he should wake her or not. He hadn't done much before now, and he wasn't sure if she'd appreciate being woken up by him.

Still, he didn't think he'd get any sleep if he could smell her fear like that.

He was finally getting settled in for the night when she whimpered, drawing his attention again. Her brows had knit together, the hand on her pillow gripping the fabric tightly. Her shoulder were tense, and she whined again in her sleep.

Definitely a nightmare. Instinctively he reached over, shaking her shoulder with his free hand to get her to stop. All at once her eyes shot open in the dark, seeming to not even see Sting as she inhaled sharply and shot out an arm, trying to bat his hand away.

He narrowed his eyes when her nails hit his skin, not hard enough to break through flesh but with enough force to leave behind angry red lines. He pulled back, watching the wild look in her eyes when she tried to jump away from him, the bracelet jerking her forward again when she tried to get away from the bed.

Sting held up his hands, watching the panic in her iris's for several moments. Lucy was disoriented, shocked for some unknown reason that he woke her up. She tried pulling away, letting the bracelet pull tight on his wrist in an effort to get away.

"Lucy," he snapped, trying to get her to hear him. Her breathing was erratic, startled to quickly out of a sleep that she didn't find piece in. He could tell her hands were on the bracelet, trying desperately to rip herself away from him. "Lucy!"

She wasn't listening, lost someplace that he couldn't seem to see. She kept pulling, and he was about to let her spend her energy fruitlessly when a coppery smell met caught his senses, eyes narrowing almost immediately.

 _Blood_. She was pulling hard enough to cause her skin to bleed. Without hesitating another moment he let his magic flow through his other hand, lighting the space brightly a second later so he could see every inch of fear on her face.

Lucy's eyes were wide. The moment she could see him she stopped tugging, breathing heavily as she studied him. He held her gaze, hoping she'd snap out of whatever terrified haze she was lingering in.

"Lucy," he said again, quietly. His eyes flickered down to her wrist where he could see drops of blood, one having dripped down onto the white bedspread. He didn't linger there, forcing his eyes back to hers again as he felt her shoulders slacken, her wrist sinking down towards the sheets again.

She met his eyes, some of the panic in her expression fading. "Sting."

His muscles relaxed, glad she realized where she was again. The scent of fear faded but he could still sense some discomfort as her breathing evened out, her eyes looking anywhere but at him. She took several more breaths, seeming to slowly come back to herself.

He waited, quietly, until she decided to sit back down on the bed with him. She was shaking, tucking her legs in as tightly as she could to her body. Her wrist was still bleeding from pulling, but that didn't seem to matter when she wrapped her arms around her legs, flinching when his hand brushed at her knee.

Her eyes slammed shut immediately, taking in a deep breath. "Sorry."

He frowned, adjusting so his arm wasn't so twisted around. He didn't move any closer, afraid if he did she might freak out again. "Don't be sorry. You were having a nightmare."

She squeezed her eyes tighter, shaking her head. "No. I'm sorry that I freaked out on you."

"S'okay," he replied, wiggling his fingers gently as the magic ran through them. She really had to be panicking if she hadn't commented yet, especially after all her lecturing about the danger they could be in. "You're fine."

Lucy shook her head, opening her eyes again to stare straight ahead. "No I… I didn't want to freak out on you."

"Nightmare," he said again, trying to brush this off. Whatever she dreamt about clearly made her uncomfortable, and he wasn't about to force the girl to talk. If she started crying one of the other dragon slayers down the hall might smell her sadness, and he really didn't want to deal with that at this hour. "It's really okay. You don't need to explain."

She pressed her lips together, continuing to stare off at something he couldn't see. He waited several moments, hoping she'd speak again. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Wasn't asleep."

It didn't seem to make her feel any better, her hands tightening on one another. She gasped quietly when she touched the broken skin, lifting up her hands enough to see the line of blood left behind.

Sting waited, willing her to say something else as she stared at another drop that wanted to drip off the metal. They should go into the bathroom and get her cleaned up, but she seemed entranced by the sight, her eyes staring dully until it slipped off the metal, joining the first drop of the sheets.

He'd had enough. Flicking on the light beside them he let his magic fade, getting out of bed almost immediately. "We need to clean that."

She didn't say anything for a moment, staring blindly at the same spot. When she didn't move he tugged on her wrist, regretting it when her lip twitched, obviously feeling the pain there.

"Come on," he tried again, rubbing his eyes. "We can at least wash and bandage it tonight. I'm sure Wendy will fix it up in the morning."

"Yeah," she grumbled, refusing to move. "Wendy fixed me up the last time too."

Frowning, Sting opened his mouth to ask if she was talking about the last time the bracelet rubbed her skin raw. Before he got the chance to speak she peered up, meeting his gaze. She let out a laugh, and he wondered if she was still delirious from sleep.

"I'm talking about Dan," she added, holding his gaze. "She fixed my wrists up because of him."

He didn't say anything. Was he supposed to? He tried not to pry into her life, especially when he didn't really have any business doing so, but if she was offering to explain things who was he to stop her.

Using her other hand, she pat the mattress. There wasn't enough space for him to fit beside but he hopped up, sitting on the other side of her knees, making sure he didn't pull on the chain.

"You don't have to tell me," he said, studying her face. "You really don't. I promised I'd help you if he did show up again. You don't have to explain all the little details to me if you don't want to."

She glanced around, shaking her head. "I… you should know. If you have to wake me up because of a nightmare you should know why."

Sting stayed quiet, waiting to see if she'd really continue. The seconds stretched out between them, and he had all but given up on her talking again when she spoke.

"We didn't date," she said simply. "Dan doesn't… date. We met him, Natsu and Happy and me, while on a job. He falls in love almost immediately. It was this big fiasco the first time we crossed paths.

He arched an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt.

"He came to Magnolia one day on a job I think. We met at a deli over lunch and talked. He was too clingy, I didn't really have any interest in him. But sometimes it's fun to talk to someone who is interested in you. Anyway, he was in Magnolia because of some other girl, who he found out had a boyfriend. I don't think they'd ever spoken before, he was just insistent that they would end up together."

"Isn't that creepy?" he asked, staring at her. "Why would you even want to talk to him?"

She shrugged, looking lost. "Natsu was on a job, and I'd had a bad day. I was feeling down. Dan was… misplaced, but he made me feel good about myself." She laughed, shaking her head as a tear slipped out. "He… he made this stupid comment about liking it when I wore skirts. How stupid is that? Anyway I was feeling low and, and he made me feel good about myself that day."

Sting's frown deepened. "By saying you looked good in skirts?"

"Because he paid attention to me. He stayed in Magnolia for about two weeks, he said he was on a job the next day. We saw each other at the deli again. I don't know if that was true or not. Maybe he was looking for that girl again."

Sting nodded, narrowing his eyes. It didn't sound like she had an interest in Dan Straight, simply that he was around when she wasn't feeling good about herself. He'd seen that before, it was easy to pick up girls with low self-esteem. He happened to be around, and he'd clearly voiced that he liked her before, so she took what he said to heart.

Still though, skirts? That had to be a red flag to her.

"I didn't tell Natsu or anyone else that I went to the same deli for a week hoping to run into him. They would've called me a weirdo."

His eyebrows shot up. "Because some stranger you didn't really know said you should keep on wearing miniskirts."

She made a face. "Yeah, pretty much. He always complimented me, except the one day I wore shorts. I hadn't done laundry, so I didn't have any clean skirts to wear." She laughed hollowly, the look in her eyes dulling again. "He made fun of me when I wore them, told me I wasn't as pretty. I don't know why I listened. It didn't matter, I didn't know him. But he hugged me when I was leaving and told me I should wear a skirt tomorrow. He would have to leave soon, he said he wanted to see one again."

Sting shook his head, looking away. "Why the fuck did you listen?"

"Because he was listening to me!" she snapped, clenching her hands. "And… and I got rejected right before I saw him at the deli, and he made me feel good about myself."

He frowned. "Well he doesn't sound scary, just pervy. So you gonna tell me what happened to change that?"

She took a breath, slowly letting her hands unclench again. "I'm getting to it. Uh, the next day Natsu and I took a short mission, and I'd worn the skirt like he asked. I always wore skirts on missions, it really wasn't a surprise. But I'd gone to the deli after we were done, and I didn't bother cleaning up. I um, I wanted to go celebrate with Natsu but…"

Lucy let the sentence hang, and he put the pieces together himself. Whatever she was supposed to go do with Natsu didn't happen, so she wandered off to see Dan instead. He scowled, recalling what she told him before. "And he complained about the skirt because you wore it on a mission?"

She blushed, and he found that he disliked the fact that she was embarrassed by it. "Yeah. He got really upset. He wanted to know why I'd let anyone else see me like that. He thought I was flashing people to get a tactical advantage."

That sounded familiar, she'd said the exact same thing once before. "So did you tell him to fuck off? It's not any of his business."

Looking away, he got the hint that it didn't happen that way. "Not exactly. He wanted to go for a walk since he was leaving. I agreed; it would be his last day in Magnolia after all so what difference did it make? While we were walking we headed to the peer, and we ended up down this little back street…"

Her eyes dulled, and he wondered if she'd continue. "That's when he stopped me. He complained about the skirt and that I was making myself too easy. No one was gonna like me if I was easy. The skirts I wore around him were just for looks because he thought I was pretty so I didn't think anything about it. He surprised me though."

She surprised him, reaching out to grasp his hand with both her own before she continued. "He was trying to tell me I was pretty, and I was distracted listening that I didn't think much about what was happening. He grabbed me and pushed me up against the wall when he got mad about the skirt. I wasn't really afraid of him, I'd seen him fight so I knew I could take him pretty easy. And then he…"

Sting leaned forward, her hands tightening again on his. He kept his other clenched at his side, surprised how angry her story was making him. He didn't think he'd care this much when and if she told him, but he found himself hanging on every word.

Lucy took a breath before continuing. "He kissed me, and I was so stupid. I let him because it felt good. It was the wrong thing to do. He thought I wanted more so he moved his hands under my skirt. I pulled away from him and told him to quit it, I wasn't into that. He didn't listen though. He started asking why I didn't love him, so I pushed him back."

She shook her head, staring down once more. "He had grabbed my wrists and he was yelling at me asking why I didn't love him. I…" she paused, shaking her head harder. "I _didn't_ love him. I didn't even have feelings for him! We were just messing around at the deli. He was in town for some other girl. He tried to grab me again so I Lucy-kicked him as hard as I could into the nearest wall and called out Loke. He took care of the rest of it, and made sure I got back to the guild. Natsu figured it out at that point, and he and Gray and half the guild went out to kick his butt. I hadn't seen him since."

Sting stared at her. He was glad she didn't let him get away with it, glad she'd had the mentality to strike out at him when she did and shove him off. She'd known to call her spirits out and make sure he didn't do anything else. It made him feel a little better.

What didn't make him feel better was how this guy Dan acted. Natsu wasn't being dramatic when he said the man shouldn't get near her. Lucy never even gave that girl a name. For all she knew it was a lie so Dan had an excuse to be there, following her around and telling her exactly what he liked. He didn't bother asking why she was feeling down that day, it didn't really matter. Dan clearly took opportunity where he saw it, and it wasn't fair.

"I know it's stupid," she said, her voice much quieter than before. "Almost nothing happened. It was maybe a three minute experience where he actually did anything. Everyone overacted-"

"No," he snapped, tightening his hand on hers, "they didn't. He took advantage when you weren't into him."

"I flirted," she said, keeping her eyes down. "I set myself up for it, all of it. It was stupid and I should've known better."

Sting shook his head, biting down the surprising amount of anger he felt. He was furious that she was blaming herself for any bit of it. From the sounds of it, Dan said exactly what he wanted to get her to do what he pleased. He told her what he liked, picked her up when she was down, and created a false sense of comfort when she was feeling vulnerable. She probably shouldn't have flirted back, but from the way the guy got possessive after only a week of talking, he got the feeling Dan had a plan long before they crossed paths.

He wasn't going to say that aloud though. She looked freaked out enough, and he didn't want to add salt to the wound. He forced his hand to unclench, using it to rest atop their joined digits. If she could have nightmares about the experience then it wasn't right. Dan didn't deserve to push her like that.

He recalled the scent he picked up before the last town, the way he'd tensed along with Natsu and Wendy. He was beginning to understand why they were so uneasy around Dan, why his scent and his presence set them on edge. He was manipulative, even if Lucy didn't see it that way.

The promise he made to protect her danced through his mind, and he couldn't imagine betraying that now. Something was off with that man, and he wished Lucy would see things in the same light.

"You didn't think he'd take things so seriously," Sting reasoned, softening his tone. "And he shouldn't have if this happened sporadically over a week. You don't fall in love with someone over a week and you definitely don't push when asked to stop."

She blushed, looking away. He assumed she'd heard the lecture before, undoubtedly from her friends when they found out. He let it go, forcing down the wave of anger he felt to try and set her at ease. There was nothing he could do about that jerk right now, and screaming about I wouldn't make her feel any better.

With a sigh he stood up, mindful of her wrist as he moved. "Let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

 **A/n: What's that, an update after four whole months? We're only a little behind!**

 **I've had a bit of trouble in my writing life. My flashdrive was destroyed, which had all the notes for future chapters for all my fanfiction stories. We are also purchasing a home, and will close next month, so life's been chaotic. I didn't want to leave my stories hanging any longer so over the next few weeks I'm going to work on my six WIP's and hopefully get back into a rough update timeline. Until after September though it might be a little slow-coming.**

 **This chapter is not what I intended, but without my notes I'm at a loss. Hopefully you all liked this one, and I figured after the delay I could give you all a Lucy/Sting heavy chapter. Next time we'll see quite a bit of progression, I've already got my next chapter mapped out (on paper this time).**

 **Thanks for sticking with me and let me know what you thought!**


	14. Chapter 14

Sting had just finished bandaging the mark on Lucy's wrist, barely able to get a bandage around and under the damn cuff, when his nose twitched and his head jerked up, very nearly smacking her in the face as his eyes narrowed.

She pulled her arm away, huffing as he glanced around. There was no window in the bathroom but that didn't stop him from looking back and forth, his nose twitching like he'd smelled something fowl.

"What is it?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes. Nightmare or not, it was still very late, and all she wanted was to try and lay down again for a few more hours. With a three day train ride looming over their heads, she needed to get all the sleep she could ahead of time. Even Wendy's magic couldn't fend off his nausea for that long of a time.

Sting tilted his head, still not really focusing on her. "There's a lot of noise outside."

Frowning, Lucy turned back to the room, practically dragging Sting to the window. The last village they visited flashed through her mind, and she didn't need a repeat of being chased out of town again. Did the townsfolk realize who they were and what they were hiding?

At the window Lucy paused, placing her fingers against the frigid glass. Glancing up and down the street she couldn't see anything other than the dim streetlights, but if she strained her ears hard enough she thought she could hear screaming.

Half a second later, she found herself leaping backwards with Sting, the same internal alert clicking in that something was about to happen. They were clumsy when they landed, both having their own style for countering something as it attacked, and her wrist screamed in protest as the freshly bandaged skin was ripped open all over again.

It hardly mattered. The outer wall of their room – and, it appeared, the entire outside wall of the building – was gone.

"What's going on?" she cried out, her skin prickling at the abrasive wind as it slammed into their bodies. They'd managed to dodge whatever attack that was, and now with the ringing in her ears she could hear the screams again, much closer this time. Blinking, she looked to her left and noted that two or three other buildings were also missing the front wall of the complex.

Sting shook his head, white light dancing in his hand much to her dismay. "Don't know! We need to get out and find the others!"

Lucy nodded, doing a quick survey of the room. They had clothes – albeit they were pretty pathetic compared to the warm garments that fell away with the wall – and she was grateful her keys still sat on the opposite bedside table where she had left them. Dragging the dragon slayer with her, she snatched them up immediately as her eyes looked around, searching for a cause of what was going on.

She couldn't see anyone attacking, but she could still hear the screams.

"We gotta go!" Sting called again, even as she looked around for their missing lacrima. She managed to grab one, forgoing her shoes as the building shook, causing the pair to stumble.

"Who's attacking?" she yelled back, wondering where the others were. The streetlights across the way did nothing to illuminate their destroyed room, and through the sounds of white noise she thought she could hear the other hotel guests crying out for help.

"Dunno!" he called back, dragging her towards the door on the opposite wall. Throwing it open, they nearly collided with Erza, who had drawn her sword and haphazardly thrown on her boots.

"Guards are attacking," Erza explained, looking as confused as Lucy felt. "I don't recognize any of them; they wear all black. I heard people screaming about it. The others went out to fight while I came to find you two."

"Guards?" Lucy asked, confusion momentarily clouding her mind. "How do you know their guards?"

Erza shrugged, the trio stumbling when the ground shifted. "The building is collapsing. They somehow blew out the entire front of the building, and I believe a few others too. I'm here to make sure you two don't try to join the fight."

Sting sneered, tugging at her arm. "We can't just run away! Whoever's out there is hurting people-"

"And we can't control our magic," Lucy reminded, glaring at the light in Sting's hand. It helped with the darkness around them, but also made it painfully obvious where they were standing. "If our magic kills one of us we'll be useless in a fight."

Rolling his eyes, Sting let the light in his hand fade. Absent the brightness, Lucy became aware of the heat his magic generated as well. She suddenly wished she hadn't forgone her shoes, lost someplace with the far side of the building.

"We're going to figure out what's going on," Erza continued, giving the pair a pointed look. "You two need to find cover. Wendy and Yukino are helping the townsfolk get away from the attack. You need to go with them. Keep your heads down."

"You want us to run from the fight," Sting replied, snarling, "again."

Erza shrugged, grabbing his arm to push the pair away from what was outside. "It's safest for everyone. Now go!"

Lucy's eyes narrowed, wondering what in the world could make Erza act so strangely. She couldn't imagine why she came to get them instead of someone else. Glancing towards Sting, she could see that he was having similar thoughts, his ears twitching as he stared the other direction.

There was no way this was a coincidence to their arrival. Something was attacking the town, and Lucy had a sinking sensation in her gut that they were to blame.

If so, the only way they could help was by getting out of there.

"Come on," she urged, turning to face Sting. He arched an eyebrow, surprised that she gave in so easily. "We won't help anyone here."

She expected another argument, but instead the blond rolled his eyes, turning to head away from the chaos. "Whatever."

Lucy didn't argue, grabbing onto Sting's hand to steer him further away. There were people in the adjacent hallway piling out of their rooms, panicking as they ran from whatever was attacking outside. If she strained her ears she could hear the sound of fighting over the roar of people screaming, but everything was blurring together into words she couldn't really focus on.

They had just gotten to the end of the hallway when someone grabbed her shoulder, causing both of them to stop. Lucy spun around at the same time Sting did, glaring at the man who had grabbed her.

He was older with graying hair, finger shaking as he pointed at them. His eyes were staring at the bracelet, fingers digging into the soft skin of her shoulder. "This is all your fault!"

"Let go of her," Sting replied, shoving his waving finger away. Lucy reached up with her other hand to remove his grip, surprised when he resorted to holding on with both hands.

"It's your fault!" he yelled again, shaking his head at them. "If you mages weren't so dangerous they wouldn't have to find you."

Lucy tensed, hesitating removing his hands. "What are you talking about?"

His eyes widened, his hand flying from on top of hers to her other shoulder, and he moved as though to shove her into the wall. Instead the pressure on her shoulder blades was torn off, Sting throwing out an arm that sent the man flying into the door behind him.

"I told you to let go," he continued, but she thought it sounded like more of a snarl. "Now what are you talking about?"

The man shook his head, glaring at the pair as he slumped down into the floor. "Mages are too dangerous. You must be controlled. If you would stop fighting it, this would all be over."

Lucy's eyes lit up, approaching him until her arm pulled tight, unable to shift closer when Sting refused to move. "Do you know who's attacking outside?"

He glared up at her, looking like he wanted to strike. Lucy braced herself, shifting her weight to one foot on the off chance that she needed to Lucy-kick him. It wouldn't do to have Sting fighting for her.

"They will finish the job," he said determinedly, ignoring her question. "Then there will be peace again."

Her eyes narrowed, and she wanted to ask another question as the building shook. "What-"

Sting's hand came up and rested on her shoulder, urging her to turn away. "If we don't get out of here this place will fall on our heads. Leave him. He doesn't want to help us."

Lucy hesitated, searching through the man's face again with her own eyes, silently begging him to say something. People tended to give the most away when emotionally driven, but Sting was right that they couldn't risk getting crushed under the wayward building. Whatever was going on outside wouldn't stop just because she had questions.

Chaos never did.

After a moment she sighed, turning from the man. Sting draped an arm across her shoulder, startling her as he glared over her head. He'd never acted like that before, despite their intimate moments while traveling together, and if the floor beneath them didn't shift sideways a moment later she would've thought harder about it.

For a split second the gesture almost felt protective.

"We have to leave!" she screamed, throwing off his arm as they bolted away. She tried to turn back and face the man they were arguing with but Sting wouldn't have it, dragging her around the corner before she could catch sight of him again.

"We don't have time blondie!" he yelled back, dragging her along with him. Her wrist screamed in protest, and she sincerely wished Wendy had come to grab them instead so the cut would stop bleeding. Even through the bandages she could tell it was dripping once more.

Lucy relented, only because she couldn't imagine they would be much help now. They barreled down a hallway that came to a dead end, the other side completely destroyed as this half threatened to topple over too. She could see in the distance the distinct glimmer of magic amidst a fight, but it was too dark and too far away to figure out what was happening.

"We need to jump!" Sting cried, dragging her closer to the edge. "The stairs here will collapse at any moment!"

"And how are we supposed to do that together?" she argued back, staring at the space below them. The entirety of the ground was uneven and strewn with the remains of the building. There were patches of space to jump down to that could fit one person at a time, but nowhere that she could see where they could jump together without hurting each other.

He cocked his head to the side, looking her up and down. "I can carry ya."

She blushed, thinking back to all the times Natsu did the same thing. He never asked before actually doing so, and she figured Sting only did because of what she told him. She hesitated, debating if she actually wanted the blond man to pick her up or not, but figured it would be the only way to get down. There was no way she wanted to jump all the way down there carrying him.

Lucy nodded once, and before she could get the words out her mouth he reached down and picked her up, practically throwing them off of the floor they were standing on. Glancing behind them as they fell, she watched the floor explode from some type of attack, and figured he probably sensed what was coming.

Sting was fairly graceful even with the bracelet hindering his movement, and managed to get them back down to solid ground without a misstep. Lucy hissed when he set her down, her sock-clad feet doing nothing to fight off the immediate wetness that sank through her as the socks absorbed new-fallen snow. She blinked, realizing a light dusting had settled over the storefronts that hadn't been disrupted, and a steady stream of snow was now coming down.

She suddenly wished she'd never prepared for her bath. With weather like this she'd be shivering in minutes. Looking Sting over in the dim light, she was more than annoyed to see he was still fully clothed, having never changed after goarging himself.

A gust of wind swept by and she shivered. "We have to get off the street. If they really are looking for us…"

Sting scowled, looking in the direction of the fight. "How many times are we going to run away from the fight? There are freaking guards over there! This had to be to get us-"

"And we won't help them by going back and getting in the way!" she interrupted, hugging herself in the cold. Her mind thought back to all the times someone had come for her, and Fairy Tail fought to help and protect her. Getting in the way always made things harder, and glancing at Sting she got the feeling he wasn't used to being the one not fighting. "C-come on, we just need to get out of the street and hide. Erza was right."

He glanced at her, still tense. She'd convinced him more than once to back away from a fight, and so far he'd let it happen. They were too clumsy to be of help, and even the few times they had attempted it hadn't helped much. Huffing, he turned to face her. "Fine, lead the way."

Lucy nodded, wiggling her frigid legs to wake up before she started jogging. Her toes were already freezing, and she was silently making a list of clothes she would require from Virgo to survive now that her pack was destroyed. Even if it was still someplace in their room, it was too risky to go back now.

She must've been moving pretty slow, and could practically feel Sting glaring a hole through her head. "W-what?"

"You're going to freeze to death like that."

Lucy huffed. "W-we have to put distance between us and the fight. Then we worry about that."

Sting groaned, stopping her mid-run. She slid on the ice briefly before stopping, her frozen toes screaming in protest. Pulling on her protesting arm, he dragged her onto a side street, immediately pressing her into the wall.

Lucy's breath hitched, her panic suddenly kicking in. Her entire body tensed, hands grasping his forearms as she held him away from her, eyes widening. After everything she just told him, he could not –

"Relax," he muttered, glancing around. His eyes appeared brighter than normal, his hands twisting around so they rested on her forearms. "I'm just trying to warm you up before you freeze. You'll move faster too."

Her eyebrows shot up but her grip didn't loosen, the fight behind them suddenly a lot less important. Their position felt very intimate, his frame managing to keep her gently pressed into the brick behind them without suffocating her. If she wanted right now she could slip out from her spot, but the heat radiating off Sting's skin was too good to pass up. Her fingers twitched, debating if she should reach for her keys or not. After everything she didn't think he'd intentionally hurt her, but it didn't help to calm her.

"I won't hurt you," he reasoned, brows knitting together. "But we've got to move faster. You need to get some new clothes-"

Lucy nodded, her mind moving in slow motion. She needed to be thinking logically about the fight around them, but she felt distracted as she drank in his heat. "Virgo. Vigro can get me new clothes."

He rolled his eyes, stepping closer, extinguishing the gap she could escape through. He was still mindful, his shoulder lightly resting on hers so she didn't immediately bolt, but there was no pressure behind it. "Then you better let me warm you up first. I don't need another lecture from your spirits."

She bit her lip, glancing away when his unbound hand rested on her back like a semi hug. For some reason her breath caught despite Sting having touched her before. For some reason, this moment felt much more intimate than any other. The moment his palm made contact with her back warmth blossomed there and seeped into her freezing skin, which made their position no less intimate. He was still leaning over her, his forehead nearly resting on hers.

She kept her hand on his arm, just in case. If she pushed him away, Lucy believed he would let it happen. Her fingers stopped shaking from the cold, but she didn't let up on her grip.

As he slid his hand to the other side of her back and let the same familiar warmth sink in Lucy couldn't help but sigh. It felt amazing to be soaked in that much warmth despite the cold winds. Immediately embarrassment shot through her at the sound, and her eyes snapped up to Sting's. She met his gaze, his eyes brighter still.

He swallowed before he spoke again, seeming at war with himself. "I'm gonna need to teach you how to do this yourself."

She didn't get to ask him what he meant. Stepping back he cleared his throat, shifting away from her. "Call out Virgo. We've got to get you out of those clothes."

"It'll take her a bit to fashion something new," Lucy replied, hugging herself again. "Most of the time I don't even ask."

"Well ask for this," he groaned, looking around them again. Out of the temporary delirium Lucy could hear the sounds of fighting once more, and a wave of guilt shot through here. Her friends were fighting whoever was out there, and she was hiding over here doing… well, doing something with Sting. She could at least be considerate enough to remember what was going on around them!

Pushing herself off the wall, she reached for her keys, trying to understand the fluttering in her heart. "Right."

* * *

Sting finally let up running when they reached the train station, much to his dismay. It appeared whatever fight was happening around them was beginning to die down, and though they were too far away now for him to hear any sort of conversation he believed that their friends came out victorious. After all, no one had chased them over the last fifteen minutes.

On the other hand, chasing might be a little bit of an overkill. The snow had picked up as they ran, and in her socks and short sleeve Lucy was pretty close to freezing despite the run. Someone could have walked up and attack them with all the progress they didn't make. It was simply too cold out, and she was painfully underdressed.

Surveying her once, he looked away again. It was certainly cold enough out to make her nipples erect beneath the top, and he had done everything in his power to advert his eyes. He was fairly certain she still had something on beneath, but it wasn't enough to fight off how cold she was. Yet another thing to add to how ridiculous it all seemed.

He really should warm her up again, but after her sigh earlier he was forcing himself to hold off. It would be great if Virgo could hurry up with those clothes and add an extra barrier between them.

It was his own fault. Whatever compelled him to sniff her neck earlier while he warmed her up was beyond him, and something he could not risk doing again. Something about Lucy, despite the cold and the fear leaking off of her, smelled absolutely delicious.

It took almost the entire run to the station to realize it was her natural scent, though he couldn't recall feeling that way about it before.

He didn't bother asking this time when he touched her shoulder, glad when she didn't stiffen beneath his touch. She was frigid to the touch, and he hoped those clothes hurried up soon. He'd need to take extra measures soon if she didn't warm up a little, and with his poor luck Natsu would come back right about then.

"Why did you have us come here?" he asked instead, letting his magic flow into her body. She seemed to protest a lot less when he was using it to warm the mage up herself.

Shrugging, she glanced up at him. "F-figured the others will think to look here and not down some random street."

Sting nodded, continuing to study the area around them. He didn't know if whoever was attacking would think to come here, but so far it looked like no one else bothered to visit the station. He'd been more than ready to fight earlier, the very idea of a battle causing excitement to shoot through his veins, but now the thought was gone. It seemed things were dying down, and with any luck the damage was minimal.

Then again, the attackers did take out one side of at least three buildings.

"Do you think those were Berchinni's men?" he asked, tilting his head. She grasped his wrist, guiding him further into the station and away from the abrasive wind. He wasn't totally warm anymore, and if he could use his magic he'd be more than okay for several more hours, but he was nowhere as frigid as Lucy was.

"Yes," she replied, no hesitation in her voice. "I can't believe he would let guards, hired-hands, anyone really, attack a town. I thought they were trying to bring about peace or whatever garbage they were preaching. We aren't going to look as dangerous as those attackers are in the papers."

"Doesn't matter. If he's as influential up here as you say, they will come off as the heroes."

Lucy grunted but didn't say anything else, leaning closer into Sting as he continued to warm her up. She hesitated twice as they walked over to a bench before turning to hug him as best she could, their attached limbs not allowing her to fully embrace him.

Sting grew still, hugging her back awkwardly for a moment. She was still cool to the touch but no longer shaking, which was a good sign.

"Thanks," she muttered, surprising him further when she buried her face into his shoulder, her cheek cool even through his shirt. She breathed in deeply, her fingers tightening on the fabric of his shirt. He had half a mind to pull her off and ask what exactly she thought she was doing today but decided against it. Ducking his head, he burrowed his nose into the juncture of her neck and shoulder and breathed in too.

Absolutely delicious.

Sting felt something stir inside of him, causing his hand to press hard into her back as his eyes widened. If she smelled this amazing to him, that usually meant –

"There you two are."

He spun around, dragging Lucy with him in surprise. He'd been so lost in his thoughts he didn't pay attention to their surroundings, and silently cursed himself for it. The smirk on Rogue's face didn't make things any better.

Beside the shadow dragon slayer Yukino grinned, Lector and Frosch waving sleepily from her shoulders. "We were so worried! Erza said she told the two of you to run, but we weren't sure if you'd actually listen."

Rogue glanced between the pair, giving Sting a stern look. "Looks like you two are getting along."

"She's cold," he bit out immediately, narrowing his eyes. Despite himself the hand on her lower back tightened, dragging her closer to him. The light in his hand brightened, the heat becoming stronger. "I can't just let her freeze to death."

Snorting, Rogue shook her head. "Oh, of course."

"The others will be here in a minute or two," Yukino continued, giving the twin dragon slayers a funny look. "Erza was trying to calm down some of the towns people, but I don't think it will work. We need to get on the first train, any train, and get out of this town. There are spies around here."

Lucy shook her head, seeming at a loss. She pulled back from Sting, and he was startled how much he missed the contact. He instinctively felt the need to pull her into him again and resisted, ignoring Rogue's knowing gaze.

"How would someone have even known?" she asked, looking at the duo. "We hid the damn bracelet! How did they figure it out?"

"Erza mentioned that someone may have followed us from the previous town," Rogue replied, looking around. He met Sting's eyes briefly, a question lingering there before he spoke again. "I haven't recognized any familiar scents recently, but Natsu and Wendy were talking about the possibility of one they sensed."

Sting's eyes narrowed, the hand on her back tightening once more. The only scent he'd noticed being similar was that of Dan Straight, and if the bastard was moronic enough to cause something like this then he was more dangerous than Sting first thought.

Dan's scent wasn't nearby when he'd noticed it last week, and it definitely hadn't been there at the time when they entered the city. Still, there was too much happening around them to figure out if he could detect it now. Aside from that, he couldn't recall any matching scents recently.

The idea didn't sit well with him. Rogue had recognized the scent too before, and while he didn't know what exactly that meant, he clearly believed that Sting did. It made more sense why Natsu and the others would be last to arrive at the station.

At this point, he had to have shared with the rest of his team what happened when Lucy crossed paths with the twit. The fact that Dan wanted to follow her around again had his skin crawling, and he sincerely hoped that he was being overly suspicious. Plenty of people seemed to have their eyes on them, and for all he knew it could be Dobengal trying to ensure he never made it back to continue leading the guild.

Still, things were too coincidental.

Sting snapped his eyes away, refusing to meet his partners gaze again. Rogue could wait for answers Hopefully, they could get on this god-forsaken train, and he wouldn't have to worry about explaining for a couple more days.

 **A/n: Here's chapter 14. I rewrote this one as I hated the last draft. We will see more about what this last attack was in the next chapter, but I wanted to touch on some semi-romance now since it's been a little bit.**

 **I won't make any guarantee's for the timeline of future chapters. Every time I do that I end up being wrong. So, until next time dear readers. Let me know what you thought of this one.**


End file.
